Nightingale
by Shadowghost5
Summary: In an alternate universe, Taylor Hebert triggers with the powerset of a Bard, and begins her quest to create a better Brockton Bay. Slight crossover elements with Dungeons and Dragons (5th edition), but no knowledge necessary.
1. Chapter 1 - Cadenza

**Chapter 1 - Cadenza**

January 7th, 2011

"Taylor, hun?" a soft voice came from across the room.

I turned my head to look at my current roommate, Mrs. Sanchez. She was an elderly woman, who was admitted to the hospital I was staying at after she got knocked over by some asshole Merchant who had snatched her purse. She might have a hip fracture or something like that.

"Yeah, Mrs. S?" I replied.

"Will you sing for me again?" She asked. I smiled and nodded shyly. Ever since I woke up in the hospital, I've felt a strange compulsion to sing and write music. I never even liked music that much before… before the locker, and I was a pretty lousy singer. I still had fond memories of Mom and Dad groaning in despair whenever I used to belt carols during Christmastime. Yet when I woke up, it was almost all I could think about. I also discovered I had perfect pitch now. I wonder if I had somehow become a cape after the locker, but the thought was almost ludicrous. I don't think carrying a tune counts as a superpower. Maybe I was just going insane, and my singing was just as bad as it's always been.

I started singly gently, and gradually let all my emotions and heart filter into the notes. It felt incredibly cathartic to let the music inside me out.

"Thanks sweetie," Mrs. Sanchez said. "I swear your voice is like magic. I hardly feel any pain anymore."

I smiled and mumbled a quick you're welcome before settling back into my bed. Suddenly I felt something stir within me. I gasped as I felt… something light up. It felt like there were tiny motes of something, like a galaxy of tiny stars, that were begging to be grasped. I reached out mentally for one within reach. I somehow understood clearly what it could grant me – minor telekinesis of small objects. I felt a wave of euphoria wash over me. All the different stars I felt were powers. I was a cape! A real one! With real powers! I reached out for another mote. Huh, this one would let me talk to animals. Not sure how useful that would be. There has to be better ones then that. I released it and reached out again. The next one I grasped was a healing ability! It would let me heal physical wounds with a single touch. I knew healing powers were incredibly rare and valued. Panacea was the only healer in town that I knew of, and people treated her like a saint. I started giggling uncontrollably. I was going to be a hero!

"Err, you alright there Taylor?" Mrs. Sanchez asked.

What came out of me next could only be described as a half-snort, half-cough. "Yeah Mrs. S. Uhhh, singing just makes me happy," I mumbled out, blushing furiously. I can't believe I forgot that I wasn't alone in the room. I wasn't going to let my current embarrassment dampen my spirit though. I was going to be a hero.

* * *

January 28th, 2011

Powers were weird. That much seems obvious just looking at some of the capes that were active in Brockton Bay. One of the local wards, Aegis, could apparently breathe through his toes or something like that. If that wasn't weird enough, one of the villains in town had orange skin and a tail. Apparently he had fan girls throwing themselves at him too.

My powers… they were changing me somehow. I was always shy, and without Emma around I probably would have been a really lonely child. For the past year and the half I had retreated further into my shell, so much so that any interaction with other people had felt awkward and stilted. Now though, social interactions and words just came easily to me, and when I was interacting with people, I _felt_ more charismatic than I had any right to be. I still felt awkward and nervous on the inside, but it was like I could fake being a normal person really well now. Another weird side effect of my power I guess, along with the compulsion to sing and perform.

Right after I got out of the hospital, I had asked Dad if I could take self-defense lessons. I could tell he was hesitant, and before I could stop myself, I sniffled and let loose a few fake tears, and told him how I just wanted something to make me feel safe again. Dad caved immediately after that. I threw up afterwards. I had manipulated my Dad in a way that reminded me of Emma or Madison. I don't think it was a master power or anything like that. I just felt like I had an instinctive understanding of how to persuade people, how to act, and how to draw people to my cause.

It worried me a bit, but I was trying not to let it bother me too much. I had more important things to worry about. I'd been out of the hospital for less than two weeks, and I had been testing my power and putting together an exercise and training regimen. I had started jogging, as well as yoga and calisthenics for flexibility and strength. In addition to my healing ability and the minor telekinesis ability (which I was calling ghost hand now… due to the ghosty hand that appeared when I used it), I had gained three new ones since leaving the hospital. The first let me create small illusions of sight or sound. The second one was another healing ability that healed diseases instead of physical wounds.

The last new power I gained could create a wave of thunder in front of me that knocked back and shocked everything in my path. I didn't think it was too much stronger than a taser, but I was hesitant to test it. It's not like I could test it on my Dad, in case it was more lethal than I believed. I thought about finding some small animals to test it on, but I'm pretty sure that's how serial killers get started. It was also loud as hell. The first and only time I had used it so far, it had summoned cop cars into my neighborhood to investigate a reported gunshot.

The ghost hand and minor illusion powers I could use indefinitely, but the powers with bigger effects left me drained a bit after each usage, and I could only use them a limited number of times before I'd had to take a break and recharge a bit. I could feel that there hundreds of more motes waiting for me; I just had to get stronger to reach them.

I ended up telling Dad about my healing power after we got home from the hospital. A part of me wanted to keep my new powers to myself, but I knew that if I was ever going to start healing at hospitals, I wouldn't be able to keep it from him. Still, I didn't tell him about my other powers. Dad half-heartedly brought up the idea of joining the wards, but after Winslow I just didn't want to be around anymore teen drama for a while. Dad was so relieved when he thought that all I would be doing was healing, but I knew it wouldn't be enough for me.

I know what you're thinking: if you could be a healer, why the hell would you risk your life trying to fight crime? Being just a healer seemed… too reactive to me. Brockton Bay was my home, and for as long as I can remember its greatest claim to be fame has been its super villain density. Ever since the collapse of the shipping industry, Brockton Bay had grown more and more desolate. More people than ever were turning to crime.

It wasn't enough for me to just be the next Panacea. I wanted to be Glory Girl too. Was that selfish or stupid of me? I know it would destroy Dad if I ever got myself killed doing something stupid, but I couldn't give it up. With each new power I acquired, I also gained an urge to use and test them. If I ever gained more than a few dozen powers, I don't think I could restrict myself to using the same two or three over and over again without going crazy.

I kept most of my powers from him, but Dad did find out about the ghost hand though. I had been using it for everything from washing my back in the shower to changing channels on the TV when I couldn't find the remote. It freaked him out a bit, but he was happy to think that I was 'only' a healer.

We still weren't talking much, and it seemed he had thrown himself even more into his work and our lawsuit against the school. Dad had wanted to accept the quick settlement from Winslow to pay for the medical bills at first, but he changed his mind after the police dropped their investigation. Plus I could probably earn some decent money with my healing ability.

I could tell Dad wasn't happy about the idea of me earning money, but I think his desire to make the school pay won out. I could tell he was still bottling a lot of anger inside over what had happened. The police had promised they would do everything they could, but they had quickly dropped the investigation after only a few days. One of the detectives that spoke with us clearly wasn't happy about it, and insinuated that they were getting pressured from above. The unpopular daughter of a dockworker vs. two rich girls and the school track star? The situation was all too believable. The unfairness of it all made me want to scream. All we had left was the civil suit.

Dad pulled me out of Winslow shortly after I got out of the hospital. I think he worried about my safety, especially with the lawsuit going on. I was supposed to start homeschooling through this online system that was starting to get popular, and maybe try to transfer to Arcadia or somewhere else for the next school year. It was another expense I was sure we couldn't afford, and made me despise the trio and Winslow even more.

I had wanted to stay at Winslow at first, as the thought of letting the three bitches drive me away infuriated me. However, I was kind of scared that I might spontaneously burst out into song during the middle of a class or something. That thought quickly squashed my desire to return to Winslow. Plus it would give me more time to focus on getting my hero career started.

We didn't have a computer at home, so I was currently at the library, browsing PHO under the alias _Songbird_. I still wasn't sure if that was the name I wanted to use, but I was having trouble coming up with anything better. I thought about Troubadour, but it sounded too silly. I liked the name Minstrel, but it was already taken by a rogue in the south. I had been to the library almost every day since I've gotten out of the hospital to research the cape scene.

I was what the forum goers would call a "grab-bag trump," like Eidolon. I had always liked Alexandria the best growing up, but I guess I could settle for being a mini-Eidolon. I didn't have anything nearly as strong as what he could do, but I hope that eventually I'll start unlocking more powerful abilities.

My current mission was simple: get paid. With the looming medical bills from my stay at the hospital and the added expenses of online homeschooling, I was going to need some money. Luckily Dad had managed to find a personal injury lawyer who was willing to work on contingency, so we didn't have to worry about paying for that.

Brockton Bay had a few notable rogues, and I was trying to contact a local thinker, Insight. He or she was an information broker, and specialized in either connecting parties together or exchanging information for money or favors. Some people online have speculated that Insight was just some regular cape nut, and not actually a real cape. The consensus was that his or her service was solid though. I was having a bit of trouble composing my private message to him/her. Apparently my newfound charisma worked better in person. After fiddling with the message for way longer than I'd like to admit, I finally hit send.

 _From: Songbird  
To: Insight  
Subject: new parahuman seeking connection_

 _Hello Insight. I am currently using the alias Songbird, and I am a recently triggered parahuman with a healing ability. Although I fully intend to be a hero, I need some quick cash to take care of some emergency expenditures, and I was hoping you could help me get set up. I'd like to offer you a future healing for yourself or for you to sell in return. Thank you! -Songbird_

I went back to browsing PHO, and hoped that Insight would respond before I had to leave the library. Huh, apparently the hottest scandal on the Brockton Bay pages was that Laserdream was spotted kissing a girl at a college party at Brockton U. I'm ashamed to say I opened the link with more than a little bit of curiosity, and was promptly disappointed. The picture in the link was a grainy, low light photo featuring a blond girl whose face wasn't even clearly visible. The thread already had dozens of posts insisting that the girl was or wasn't Laserdream. Ugh, with the crime rate and all the villains in town, you'd think people would worry about more important things. Barely 10 minutes passed before I got a reply from Insight.

 _From: Insight  
To: Songbird  
Subject: re: new parahuman seeking connection_

 _Hey there newbie :). Healer huh? That's a valuable power, assuming you're telling the truth. You'd be amazed at how many fake messages I get, but I got a good feeling about you. I can definitely help you, and I think you're going to need a lot more help than just one connection. How about this, for five future heals, I'll mentor you for a few months, and show you the ropes and all the unwritten rules. Sound good? –Insight_

 _P.S. – first free bit of advice: don't use the name Songbird. People won't take you seriously._

I frowned a bit at Insight's message. I decided very quickly that she was a girl. And what was wrong with Songbird? I wasn't in love with it, but I thought it sounded pretty good. It definitely fit the theme of my power at least, though I guess there was no way she could know that. I didn't how much one heal was worth, but I assumed it had to be pretty valuable considering how expensive regular medical care was at hospitals. As far as I knew, Panacea didn't charge anything for her healing, but she had rich parents. I was trying pretty hard not to hold that against her. Or maybe she was making a boatload of money on the side while volunteering at the hospital. Hmmm, that's actually a pretty good idea. I could volunteer to heal kids at the hospitals while charging rich people for my healing. Five heals seemed like a lot, but I didn't have a lot of options right now. I quickly composed a reply.

 _From: Songbird  
To: Insight  
Subject: re: new parahuman seeking connection_

 _Let's start with the first connection. If it's good, I'd be happy to take you up on your offer. Also, what's wrong with Songbird? What would you suggest. –Undecided_

Insight's reply came quickly.

 _From: Insight  
To: Songbird  
Subject: re: new parahuman seeking connection_

 _Perfect :) I have a feeling this is going to be start of a fabulous friendship. I'll contact you soon with more details. And as far as the name goes? I'd go with Nightingale._

* * *

February 17th, 2011

Insight had set up a meeting with an attorney, Quinn Calle, for me. I looked him up and found that he mostly did parahuman criminal defense, but Insight assured me that he was the man to see.

I was currently standing in front of the mirror on my closet door, trying to figure out what to wear. I had only been exercising hard for a couple of weeks, but I could swear that my complexion and physique was already noticeably better. Maybe whatever was altering my mind and personality was also slowly making physical changes? I had noticed that my sense of balance seemed way better, and that I moved with a sense of grace that I didn't have before when I was just an awkward gangly teenager. If it was another quirk of my power, I certainly wasn't complaining.

I was 5'6", which was definitely tall for my age, and I hoped that I'd appear older with more formal wear. I decided on a pair of black slacks with a pair of my mom's pumps, and a simple white blouse for my top. I pulled one of my baggy hoodies over my outfit, which I would take off before I walked into Calle's office. I also brought a simple domino mask in my bag to complete the transition, and headed out for my meeting. Luckily my healing power had worked on my eyes, and I now had 20/20 vision. The image of me trying to wear my old glasses over a mask was enough to send me into a fit of giggles. I told Dad I'd be at the library today to do my online classes, and I had to clamp down at the guilt I felt at how easily lying came to me now. Stupid powers.

Calle's office building was in the nice part of downtown, near the bay. If you never left that area, you could convince yourself that Brockton Bay was a nice city, instead of the city most famous for having the highest ratio of parahuman villains to regular citizens in the United States. After changing out of my hoodie and putting on my domino mask, I walked into Calle's building and was directed into his office.

"Ah, you must be Miss Nightingale!" The man inside the office got up as soon as I entered. "Quinn Calle, at your service."

Despite how nervous I felt on the inside, I gave him a confident smile and shook his hand firmly "Pleasure to meet you, Mr Calle," I replied. "I'm Nightingale."

Calle was immaculately dressed in a three piece charcoal suit, and his entire appearance from his styled black hair to his blindingly white teeth screamed perfection. The only flaw in his appearance was an ugly scar that ran from one of side of his nose and up his cheekbone.

"Don't be alarmed now, but I'm going to pull out a knife." He said. Wait, what? I suddenly felt very alarmed. He chuckled a bit, presumably at the look on my face. "Don't worry, I simply need to see your power in action before we go any farther. I know Insight vouched for you, but I'd like to see for myself."

Calle drew the knife across his palm, drawing a line of blood, and then looked at me expectantly. I reached out and took his wrist, and with a small tug of my tower, immediately closed his wound.

"Marvelous!" Calle exclaimed, "Your power extends to diseases as well? Including all forms of cancer?"

"Yes," I replied confidently… well, hopefully it works like that. "It should work on most kinds of diseases. Is that all?"

"We'll set up some more testing later on, but I've seen enough to want to take you on as a client, Miss Nightingale." Calle responded.

"I was under the impression that you were primarily a criminal defense attorney, Mr. Calle?" I asked him.

"Ah well, that's mostly what gets the media attention," he responded easily, while flashing me another pearly smile. "My firm specializes in parahuman law in general, and we actually do a lot of brand and image consulting for parahumans, as well as a wide variety of financial and other services. Estate planning might not get as much media coverage as criminal trials, but I assure you capes need it as much as any regular person." Well that kind of took a morbid turn. He must have noticed the look on my face (why on earth did I choose a tiny domino mask?), and quickly added, "For example, you'd be amazed at how many people try to illegally profit off of a cape's likeness or name. Trust me, parahumans need legal services well beyond just the criminal matters."

We spent the next hour hashing out the details of what I was looking for and what he could help me with. The main thing he could provide me with were his ability to find wealthy clients, both within Brockton Bay and outside, and the layer of privacy he could provide.

Being in the same city as Panacea would actually help me find clients. Apparently people all over the world travelled to Brockton Bay just for the chance of getting healed by Panacea (Calle called it 'medical tourism'). Her demand was so high that there would often be waiting lists if your condition wasn't really critical. Calle also suggested going having any potential clients sign non-disclosure agreements before I healed them. The general public probably wouldn't take too kindly at the thought of a teenage hero charging $50,000 to $100,000 for healing, and I didn't want to be thought of as a rogue. I asked him if he did the same thing for Panacea, and he assured me that even if he did, he wouldn't tell me. Most of my clients would probably be patients who were far enough down on Panacea's waitlist that paying Calle and me a year's worth of an average American's salary would still be cheaper than months of conventional medical care.

After agreeing to hire Calle as my lawyer and signing a boatload of documents, I unmasked and officially introduced myself as Taylor Hebert. After all, if you can't trust your lawyer, who could you trust?

After signing the documents, Calle informed me that he was now my brand and image consultant as well, and scheduled a meeting later in the week so that we could go over my image. Perhaps I shouldn't have trusted him so quickly.

By the time I got home, I was brimming with energy. More motes of power had become available to me. I sat down in the kitchen and started making a sandwich while I examined the new powers available to me. Hmm, one would cause my victims to fall into uncontrollable fits of laughter, of which there is no escape from. That sounds… way too evil. What else was there? Ooh, a power that turns me invisible? That could be really useful. I really wanted something that would let me fly, since my dreams of soaring with Alexandria were not quite forgotten yet. The closest thing I found so far was a power that let me fall from great heights without hurting myself too badly. Ughh, that's not good enough. I heard the front door as Dad entered the house.

"Hey Taylor, I'm ho- GAH!" He squealed in a decidedly un-masculine way. "Can't you make sandwiches normally?"

"Hm?" I looked up in confusion. My ghost hand was currently assembling a small egg salad sandwich while I was sitting ten feet away. "Want me to make you one too Dad?"

"Errr, no that's alright sweetie. I'll just wait for dinner." He said as he slowly edged away. "I'm going to go get changed now."

I wonder what's bothering him. I turned my focus back inwards and onto the available motes of power. I found one that could cause people to fall asleep. It probably wouldn't work on any capes that were above baseline human for toughness, but it still seemed like a useful power. At the very least, I could probably use it on myself when I had trouble sleeping. I grabbed that one and absorbed it, as well as the invisibility power. I still didn't feel prepared to go out on patrol or fight crime, but I was itching to test out my new powers. I sighed, knowing I probably wouldn't have a chance while Dad was home. I used my ghost hand to bring my sandwich over and started feeding myself while I daydreamed about taking down the Empire 88 with Alexandria.

* * *

February 21st, 2011

 _Insight: Hey Songbird, howd the meeting go ;)?_

I stared at the message. Why was she using Songbird now? Was she just trying to annoy me? I had just made a new PHO account with my new name.

 _Nightingale: Good, I hired him. Why are you using Songbird now? I thought you didn't like it._

 _Insight: Ehh, it grew on me ;)_

I felt my eyebrows twitch as I read Insight's latest message. I half-wished I had taken that evil laughing power just so I could use it on her if I ever met her in person. We had been messaging back and forth for a few weeks now, and she had given me a lot of helpful background on the Brockton Bay cape scene as well as the unwritten rules that I hadn't found just browsing PHO. I had a meeting with Calle in a few days, and I wanted to go over some things with Insight.

 _Insight: Awww, dont ignore me. I'm just playing with you. Lemme use my psychic powers on you right now: you're wondering if we're going to meet irl._

 _Nightingale: Are we?_

 _Insight: Prolly not. I havent made it this long by not being a paranoid weirdo._

 _Nightingale: As far as I'm aware, you've only been active for six months._

 _Insight: Pshh, thats still 6 months longer than u, newbie._

Ugh, her grammar and spelling had also gotten worse over the past few weeks as our messages became less formal. I wonder if she was doing that on purpose too. I'm beginning to suspect that her thinker power was actually 'how to be as irritating as possible,' rather than the psychic mind reading that she liked to claim.

 _Insight: How are the martial arts classes going?_

I felt a surge of panic rise within me. How could she possibly know I was learning self-defense? Was she actually psychic? Has she been spying on me? I had hoped that dad would sign me up for Krav Maga or something badass like that, though I guess that was wishful thinking. Instead I was taking Intro to Self-Defense for Women. It was actually pretty useful, especially since I _was_ a total beginner. Most of the advice and techniques taught in the class centered on attacking the opponent's groin area.

 _Nightingale: How did you know I was taking classes?_

 _Insight: You just told me ;) Something like 80% of new capes who want to be heroes sign up for some type of martial arts right after triggering. I totally got you though ^_^ What are you learning?_

I flushed in embarrassment. There was no such thing as psychic capes. It was like the only thing parahuman scholars actually agreed on.

 _Nightingale: I'm not telling you._

 _Insight: Awww, don't be like that. Ur cute when you blush._

Before I could control myself, my head snapped up as I quickly scanned the library. My heart was pounding much too loudly for my liking.

 _Insight: HA! You totally looked, didn't you._

I logged out of PHO and switched browser tabs back to the lesson I was supposed to be working on. Stupid Insight. I sighed. I hadn't even gotten around to asking her the questions I wanted to ask. As irritating as she could be, it was actually kind of nice to have someone talk to, even if it was only online. It was almost as if we were friends. I sighed again. I don't think I realized until now how lonely the past year and a half has been. I debated logging back into PHO and continuing my conversation with Insight, and ultimate decided against it. I could almost feel the smugness emanating from the computer screen at the thought of her reaction to me logging back in. There's always tomorrow.

After a few relatively easy hours, I was able to get all my work done for the day and I was ready to head home. Without the terrible trio sabotaging me and making my life a stressful mess, learning was surprisingly easy.

Taking the bus home wasn't too bad. For the most part, none of the gangs ever bothered any of the riders. One of the rules from Marquis' era that people still respected. Maybe I could get a dirt bike or a Vespa when I started making money, though I don't think Dad would be too happy about that.

When I got home, I still had a little bit of alone time before Dad returned. Perfect time for some power testing. I pulled out a bag of catnip that I had bought recently from our pantry and headed out to the backyard.

One of our neighbors was a… well… she was a cat lady. I'm not sure how many cats she actually owned, but one of them, a fat Persian cat called Mrs. Fluffypaws, was constantly invading our backyard. I started waving a few sprigs of catnip around while calling her name. "Come out come out wherever you are Mrs. Fluffypaws! I have some recreational drugs for you."

After a few minutes of waiting, the stupid cat actually showed up and started meowing at me. I led her inside where nobody else could see what we were doing. I wonder if this is what being a Merchant drug pusher felt like.

Once back inside, I reached out and started scratching her ear. "Thanks for volunteering to be my test subject, Mrs. Fluffypaws."

No, I wasn't going to test my thunder power on her. I had already tested my invisibility power on myself several times, and I had a gut feeling that it would work on others as well. With a quick tug of my power, Mrs. Fluffypaws abruptly winked out of sight. The invisibility was perfect! I couldn't see even a trace of her. I whooped a little and did a quick rendition of my 'I'm Awesome' dance. I reached down to gra- huh… I don't think I thought this through.

"Mrs. Fluffypaws?" I whispered. "Where are you? Make some noise please."

The stupid cat ignored my request. Well, based on my previous tests, it should wear off in about an hour. Nothing I could do about it now. Might as well get dinner started. I started walking towards the kitchen and promptly tripped over an invisible cat and landed hard on the floor. Ouch. That was definitely going to leave some bruising. This was not my proudest moment as a hero. Stupid cat. I briefly reconsidered testing my thunder blasting power on Mrs. Fluffypaws before healing my bruises. The cat had screeched and ran off into a different section of my house after I tripped over it. Hopefully she can let herself out.

I wandered into the kitchen and started preparing dinner. I wasn't going to make anything too fancy, just a simple stir fry of chicken breast and mixed veggie. Dad wasn't much of a cook, and I had slowly picked up the slack over the last few years.

Dad still wasn't home by the time I finished cooking. I called his office to see if he was still there, but there was no answer. After waiting a bit, I ate alone and packed away some leftovers for Dad when he got home. He'd been working late pretty often lately, but he'd usually call to let me know when he wouldn't be back for dinner. I knew he was stressed out about something, but he always insisted everything was fine whenever I talked to him. I probably could've squeezed something more out of him with my 'persuasion' skills, but it felt wrong to use that on my dad.

I tried not to worry too much as I turned on the TV in the living room and went through my calisthenics and yoga exercises. At almost 10 PM, Dad called me to say he was going to be home late and that I shouldn't wait up for him. I sighed. It's not like I could be angry with him, considering how many secrets I was keeping from him. I just hoped we weren't drifting apart again.

* * *

February 22nd, 2011

Dad must have left for work early today, because he was already out of the house by the time I woke up. He had cooked me some eggs and left it on the kitchen table though, which was nice of him. I just ate cereal most mornings. I can't shake the feeling that he was avoiding me for some reason. No that's ridiculous. Dad wouldn't do that to me. I can't let my insecurities affect my relationship with him.

After breakfast, I was on my way to the library again to do my schoolwork and check my messages. After settling into my preferred corner in the library, I logged into my PHO account and checked my messages.

 _Insight: Awww, I'm just playing with you. Come back :(_

 _Insight: Hellooo. I know you have questions for me._

 _Insight: T^T_

Ha! Take that. I typed out a message and sent it before switching focus to my lessons.

 _Nightingale: Hey Insight. So I should be getting some cash soon (hopefully). What kind of laptop should I be getting, and what do I need to worry about in terms of security? And how much should I expect to spend?_

I should be focused on my schoolwork, but I can't resist checking PHO's Brockton Bay news section first.

 **Welcome to the Parahumans Online message boards.**  
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 **Topic:...Just to clarify (Laserdream here)  
In: Boards ►Brockton Bay news  
Laserdream** (Original Poster) (Verified Cape)(New Wave)  
Posted OnFeb 3rd 2011:  
Just to be clear, that picture floating around the internet of the blonde girl kissing another girl IS NOT ME. Ffs, you can't even see the girl's face in that pic. I have nothing against homosexuality, and I absolutely support a person's right to love whichever gender they want. However, and I'm sorry to disappoint all the ladies out there, I'm straight.

 **(Showing page 1 of 9)**

 **►XxVoid_CowboyxX** (Wiki Warrior)  
Replied On Feb 3rd 2011:  
noooooooooooooooo

 **►SpecificProtagonist** (CapeGroupie)  
Replied On Feb 3rd 2011:  
Awwww, this makes me really sad :(

 **►Packrat**  
Replied On Feb 3rd 2011:  
Wtf, I saw you at that party two weeks ago Laserdream. You were totally kissing that girl. Lame that you're trying to deny it now that it's gotten a bit of media attention.

 **►GstringGirl**  
Replied On Feb 3rd 2011:  
I don't believe that Laserdream would lie about something like this!

 **►Insight** (Verified Cape)  
Replied On Feb 3rd 2011:  
This thread is great. I know thetrue story, and I'll sell it to any media publication (or rich weirdo) for $20,000.

 **►SpecificProtagonist** (Cape Groupie)  
Replied On Feb 3rd 2011:  
Oh? So there's hope?

 **►Laserdream** (Original Poster) (Verified Cape) (New Wave)  
Replied On Feb 3rd 2011:  
This is ridiculous. I'm not going to respond to this thread anymore. My statement is out there. Believe it or not, I don't care anymore.

 **►BadSamurai**  
Replied On Feb 3rd 2011:  
Laserdream I don't believe you. That totally looks like you in the picture.

 **►JLawson** (Verified Journalist)  
Replied On Feb 3rd 2011:  
Insight, check your PM.

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Wow, there are already nine pages on this? This thread is a great example of why publicly unmasking is a bad idea. I guess some people really enjoyed the fame. Laserdream seems pretty laid back, but Glory Girl seems to really love the spotlight based on all her media appearances that I've seen. I was saved from diving deeper into the thread when I received a new private message.

 _Insight: Pshh, you were mean to me yesterday._

 _Insight: You can get a decent laptop for around $1,500. DragonTech sells some good ones. I'd just get a Dragonbook Pro. An unsecured sim card for internet access will run you $50-$100 a week, but you should get a good encrypted one. Calle can order all this for you through his office. It'll cost about $2,000 upfront for the sim card and about $500 a month for encrypted internet access (you can prepay for a year). It won't be 100% foolproof, but it should be good enough. I'll set you up with all the encryption software you'll need after you get it._

I almost choked at the price tag that Insight was quoting. $3,500 upfront, and then $500 a month afterwards? That was definitely more money than I've ever spent on anything in my life. It shouldn't be an issue though if Calle came through for me. Dad worked himself to the bones to keep the two of us fed and housed. At the rates that Calle was estimating, in a single healing session, I could earn as much as Dad did in an entire year, even after Calle's cut. The unfairness of it all was a bitter pill to swallow. I honestly don't know how Dad would feel about all this. Would he be happy for me? Would he even be willing to take money from me, or would it hurt his pride too much for me to even offer? Maybe it was a moot point. It wasn't like I could go on a shopping spree without attracting the wrong kind of attention. Big orders would have to be done through Calle's office.

 _Insight: Hey, I know it's a lot, but you should be set on money pretty soon right? Make sure you get a couple burner phones as well, and swap them out every few months._

 _Nightingale: Yeah, it should be fine. I won't have to resort to selling tabloid stories, at the very least._

 _Insight: Ohhoho, someone's feeling cheeky today. You still need to tell me what kind of martial arts you're learning._

It felt good to joke around with Insight. She was fun to talk to when she wasn't being annoying. Should I tell her? She'd probably make fun of me, but it never felt malicious when she teased me.

 _Nightingale: It's not a big deal. I'm not learning any martial arts. I am taking a women's self defense class though._

 _Insight: OMG you're a girl?! Pics please_

Wow, Insight went almost 10 minutes without being annoying. A new record.

 _Nightingale: Weren't able to figure that out, huh? What kind of thinker are you._

 _Insight: Ehh you never know. I know you think I'm a young woman, but I could be a 40 year old man using the texting habits of a teenage girl specifically to get you to lower your guard around me._

What? Well there was a terrifying thought. The idea that my… sorta internet friend could be a gross old dude who liked to trick teenage girls online? Ugh. Disturbing. I was stirred from my ruminations when Quinn Calle sent me a message.

 _QCalle: Hello Miss Nightingale. I just wanted to let you know to keep check ing your messages throughout the next few days. There's a chance our meeting later this week needs to be cancelled and pushed back to a later date._

Huh, I wonder what that was about.

 _Nightingale: Sure Mr. Calle, is everything alright?_

 _QCalle: Nothing you need to worry about Miss Nightingale. Something unavoidable may come up. That's all. Have a good day!_

I frowned as I read Calle's message. I could tell he was keeping something from me. I had so many questions. What unavoidable delay? When could I finally make my debut? Was Insight a gross old guy? Was Mrs. Fluffypaws still inside my house?

I was already going out of my mind with boredom. With each new power I acquired, I was getting more and more anxious to use them. I know none of my abilities are that powerful, but I was already _versatile_ and I was only getting stronger. If I didn't find an outlet for my powers soon, I was going to go crazy.

 _Insight: Hello? I'm not a 40 year old man. Stop ignoring me._

* * *

February 26th, 2011

I am an idiot. No I'm not, I'm a hero. I slid my window open and silently jumped out into the darkness. With a quick use of my ghost hand, I closed and locked the window from the inside. This would be an incredibly useful skill for breaking and entering if I wasn't a hero.

I wasn't really ready for this, I can admit, but I was dying to go out there and start making a difference. When Calle mentioned more testing before I was ready to heal, he apparently meant involving Panacea and the PRT to make sure I wasn't spreading cape cancer when I healed. We were supposed to meet this past week, but then the Simurgh attacked Cranberra (which apparently is in Australia). Due to the time difference, I slept right through the attack. It was beyond frustrating. I wonder how many capes died that I could've saved with my healing.

Panacea was still in Australia dealing with the aftermath, and I wanted to volunteer my services too. Calle assured me that they wouldn't let an untested healer use their power on capes though, especially after a Simurgh attacked. I don't think I've ever felt more useless in my life.

Thus, sneaking out my window to go on a patrol. It's been over a month since I gained my powers, and the need to do _anything_ finally won out over prudence.

Not having to deal with Emma and Sophia for so many weeks had done wonders for me mentally, and with my recent changes, I didn't hate what I saw when I looked in the mirror for the first time in a long while. I still didn't consider myself beautiful or anything, but… I was getting there? Maybe? Even Dad had said I was getting prettier every day. Then again, maybe that's something all dads are obligated to say.

We still didn't talk much. I could tell he was still stressed, and he wouldn't say where he was earlier in the week when he didn't come home except he had work to do. I hated being pushed to talk about things when I didn't want to, so I didn't pry any more.

Still, my confidence was at an all-time high, and I was ready to go kick some ass. I wasn't sure what exactly caused me to gain new powers, but I suspected that the more active I was in using them, the faster they would unlock.

No healing meant I didn't have any money yet, and none of the equipment I wanted. Dad had given me some pepper spray and a rape whistle when I started jogging in the mornings. The pepper spray would be useful, but I don't think the whistle would do much in a city where villains like Hookwolf and Oni Lee roamed around.

With the pepper spray and my six weeks of self-defense training, I was clearly ready to start a fight with a gang. Or at the very least, I could turn invisible and run away.

I didn't even have a costume yet. I was wearing my darkest jeans, a pair of hiking boots, and a dark grey hoodie with the hood up and my domino mask. I probably looked more like a gang member than a hero. It would probably be a better idea to do this patrol invisible. With a small tug of power, I winked out of sight. It immediately occurred to me that I probably should have done that before jumping out the window. Note to self: don't get hit by a car while invisible.

I decided to steer clear of Empire or Lung's territory, and stick to the docks area near my house where I knew the Merchants were active. I wonder if every new cape in Brockton Bay starts out the same way. _I got powers now! Time to go kick a crackhead in the face!_ It was almost enough to make me feel sorry for the Merchants.

I wandered around near the docks for an hour without seeing anything interesting before I spotted a girl being followed by two shady looking guys. She was an African-American girl and looked around my age, or maybe a bit younger, and she was bobbing her head to music from her headphones while completely oblivious to her surroundings. I shook my head incredulously. The two guys following her looked emaciated and had sunken, gaunt faces that showed the telltale signs of drug addiction, and the clothes they wore were dirty and disheveled. Looks like I found some Merchants.

Why the hell would a teenage girl be wandering around this crappy neighborhood in the middle of the night? It took me a few seconds to notice the hypocrisy of that thought.

I started following them a bit closer while still invisible. Maybe they'll leave her alone. I shouldn't judge them just because they look like crack addicts. Oh wait, they're grabbing her and dragging her into the alley. Yup, they're Merchants.

I immediately ran in after her. Think Taylor! I need a plan. I couldn't use my thunder blast power without hitting the girl also. The sleep power? No, I haven't practiced with it enough, and I don't think I have great control over it. It might just cause the girl to fall asleep while completely ignoring the two Merchants. That would be a disaster. An illusion maybe? I could replicate the sounds of a police siren or something. If it didn't work though, I'd have given up the element of surprise for nothing.

Better to just strike hard and fast. I could take them. The pepper spray and physical attacks would have to do. _Remember your training Taylor: go for the groin_. The invisibility would wear off as soon as I attacked, so I'd only have one shot at this. I readied my ghost hand and used it to float the pepper spray over to the merchants.

"Hey!" I yelled at them.

As they turned to face me, I blasted the Merchant farther away from me in the face with the pepper spray. He started screaming and clawing at his face. I charged the other guy, and before he could react, I slammed my knee into his junk as hard as I could. I admit I felt a little bad about it as he let out a high pitched squeal. I quickly followed up with a palm strike to his nose. Less chance of breaking a finger or wrist than a closed fist, according to my instructor. The thug collapsed to the ground with a piteous moan. I'm pretty sure I broke his nose.

Wow, I did it. That wasn't too hard. I turned to face the other Merchant just in time for him to knock me over as he sprinted by. He took off running and was gone before my wits returned to me. Ooph, that really knocked the wind out of me. I sat up gingerly.

Huh, my body felt oddly warm, and wet. I looked down. GAH! There was a switchblade sticking out of my stomach! Huh, why didn't it hurt? Oh wait, there's the pain. A LOT OF IT. I had to stifle a scream as the pain kicked in. Blood was starting to pool out at an alarming rate. _Don't panic Taylor, you can heal this_. I was almost hyperventilating as I readied my healing power and used it on myself. I looked down. The knife was still in my stomach. Why did I think that would work. I grabbed the knife, and before I could give it anymore thought I yanked it out. The pain was excruciating and made me want to track down Emma and pepper spray her in the face. I quickly pulled on the healing power again and sighed as the pain started to fade away.

"Hey, are you OK?" The girl asked, hovering over me with a concerned look on her face. "Should I call for an ambulance or something?"

"I'm fine." I croaked out. "Fast healing. The wound's already closed." Shakily, I got up to my feet. The front of my hoodie was now covered in blood. The other merchant was just lying on the ground now, crying as blood streamed out of his nose. He didn't look like he'd be getting up anytime soon.

"Wow, you're kinda bad at this, huh?" The girl asked. The nerve of this girl! Right after I took a knife to the stomach for her. She actually looked a little familiar. I wonder if she's a student at Winslow.

I glared at her without responding.

"Uhh, thanks for saving me I guess. I'm Aisha." She held out her hand for me shake. I ignored it.

"What the hell are you doing out at this time of the night? Are you trying to get yourself killed?" I glared at her some more. Take that, silly teenage girl.

She looked pretty abashed. "I had to get out of the house for a while." She muttered. "My mom… she… look, she's a dick alright?"

I sighed. Yelling at this girl wasn't going to make me feel better. "Alright, can you get home OK? You want to call the cops or something?"

"I don't have a cell phone," She replied. "Do you?"

"… no." I replied sullenly.

"So… this your first night out or something? "Aisha asked. "What's your name."

Should I give her my name? This night has been a disaster so far. I refuse to let this be my debut. "… I'm not giving you my name."

Aisha rolled her eyes. "Not your real name. Your cape name."

"Look, I haven't made my real debut yet, so I'm not going to give you my cape name either. I'm not even supposed to be out right now." This girl was giving me a headache.

"Huh? Does that mean you're a new Ward? What am I supposed to call you then? What's your power? I saw that creepy looking green hand thingy. Is that it?"

What? My ghost hand is awesome, not creepy. I returned to glaring at her. "Look, you need to head home. It's dangerous out here."

"OK sure!" She smiled brightly. "We can keep chatting while you walk me home. You were actually pretty badass right up until that douche stuck a knife into you. Can I keep the knife?"

What the hell. "I'm not going to walk you home. And no, I'm keeping the knife." I'm pretty sure pulling it out of my stomach entitled me to keep it.

She gasped. "The big strong hero is going to make this defenseless maiden walk home all alone in the middle of the night? How could you."

As annoying as she was, I guess she had a point. "Look, I can temporarily turn you invisible, and you can use that to get home safely, OK?"

"YOU CAN DO WHAT?" She squealed. I think one of my eardrums burst. "That. Is. Awesome! Can you imagine the pranks we can pull with that?"

I don't think I could glare any harder at her, but I refuse to stop trying. "My powers aren't for pranking!"

"C'mon, what's your phone number? Or PHO username?" Aisha kept badgering me. "Don't be afraid to live a little. I won't tell the rest of the Wards. Hello? Say Something?"

I sighed, and with a tug of my power I turned her invisible and then used it on myself. It was time to run away.

"Hey! Not cool!" She yelled out at me. "What kind of a person just disappears during the middle of a conversation! RUDE!"

Huh, Aisha's invisibility wore off as soon as I used it on myself. I need to test the limits of my powers more carefully. I sighed and released the invisibility effect from myself. "I guess I'll walk you home then."

She smiled brightly at me. "OK, I guess I can forgive you then. C'mon, it's not that far away."

I briefly debated calling an ambulance for the Merchant who was still lying on the ground crying, but he'd probably be OK.

We started walking towards Aisha's house. She turned to look at me and smirked. "You know," she started, "I should introduce you to my bro. The two of you would get along great."

Was she trying to set me up on date? I didn't like the way she was smirking. "No thanks," I replied. "What school do you guys go to? Winslow?"

"Nah, I'm in the 8th grade. I'll probably go there this fall. My bro does some kind of online thing." She responded.

This girl was only a middle-schooler? She already had much larger breasts than I did. How annoying.

By the time I walked Aisha home and re-entered my room, it was nearly 3:00 AM and I was exhausted. My front torso was covered in dried blood now, and I couldn't shower without waking up Dad. I stripped out of my bloody hoodie and shirt, and stuffed them into the back of my closet. There was a glass of water on my desk, and after drinking a few gulps, I dumped the rest onto a clean shirt and used it to wipe the blood off of my stomach. Two shirts and a hoodie ruined in one night, as well as a near death experience.

I wriggled out of my pants and crawled into bed without bothering to change into my pajamas. Being a hero was exhausting. Tonight… could have gone better. One of those guys could've had a gun, or he could've stabbed me in the heart or eye instead of my stomach. I could heal myself, but I wasn't a real brute. All the healing powers in the world wouldn't help me if I'm dead. I knew going out so underprepared was foolish, and I did it anyways. I could've died tonight.

I got lucky tonight. No more going out before I was fully prepared. Once I had some money coming in, I could use it to commission a proper costume that was bullet and knife proof. I could only hope that my new resolve would outlast my impatience.

Still, as bad as tonight could have gone, I had managed to save Aisha. The fact that she could give Insight a run for her money on the Annoy-O-Scale doesn't change the fact that I was officially a hero now. I smiled as I felt a familiar stirring within my core. Another mote was available.

* * *

February 27th, 2011

"Taylor, wake up."

I ignored the voice and snuggled deeper into my blanket.

"Are you feeling OK sweetie? It's already almost noon." The voice continued. I felt something shake me a little.

I ignored the voice and snuggled deeper into my blanket. Now something was tugging at my blanket. No! Go away.

"What the… are you naked under there, Taylor?" Wait what?

"GET OUT!" I shrieked. Dad bolted from my room, faster than I've seen him move in a very long time, in what I assumed was abject terror.

I looked toward my closet. I must have been too exhausted last night after sneaking in to change into my pajamas or properly clean myself, based on how gross I felt. Thank god Dad didn't see the bloodstained clothes that I had shoved in there.

I grabbed some clean clothes and headed towards the shower. Whatever Dad wanted, he could wait another half hour. I unlocked more powers last night, but was too tired to make a decision. As I showered, I turned my focus inwards and examined what was available: I could pick one from the pool of weaker powers that didn't tire me out to use, and one 'regular' power.

I examined the minor powers first. There was one that would let imbue malice into my voice and cause pain in my enemies by viciously mocking them. I shuddered as I examined it. After a year and a half of what Emma, Sophia, and Madison put me through, could I really use the on someone else? Sure, the gang members and villains in my city probably deserved it, but I didn't want to be like the trio at all. I was better than them. None of the others seemed as useful in a fight, but one caught my attention. It didn't seem really useful; it was basically a small collection of tricks, such as minor sensory effects, small illusions, lighting or putting out small fires, cleaning or soiling objects. Mom would call it something like 'prestidigitation.' She was one of those English professors that really let you know she was one; always quoting literature or using obscure but fun words. I felt myself tearing up a little bit as I thought of mom. Prestidigitation. I liked it. If nothing else, it meant I would never have to do laundry again.

I decided to hold off choosing my other power for now. I finished showering and returned to my bedroom. Time to test out my new trick. I pulled the bloody clothes out of my closet and focused on them. "Abra-cadabra," I whispered with a wave of my hands. I felt the words pull on my power as they left my mouth. Huh, that was weird. With a quick shimmer, the blood and dirt on my bloody hoodie vanished. It looked completely clean, although it still had a small whole where the knife had gone through. What a convenient way to destroy DNA evidence.

I decided not to keep Dad waiting any longer and headed downstairs. He was sitting at our kitchen table, looking uncomfortable while pretending to read the Sunday paper. There was a plate of eggs with bacon already out for me. I sat down and started eating. "G'morning, dad," I mumbled around a mouthful of bacon.

"So…" He started. We stared at each other awkwardly for a minute. "Is this a new… thing… with you?"

"What? No dad. I was just…" too exhausted to change into my pajamas after sneaking out in the middle of the fight to pick a fight with gang members? "I was just… trying something new." I finished feebly.

We stared at each other awkwardly some more. He cleared his throat. "Right… so… Taylor, I met with lawyers from the school district this week." Dad started talking. I guess we're moving on. Thank god. "They made a settlement offer."

I stopped chewing my bacon. Is this what Dad has been stressed about? I hadn't really been paying attention to what was happening with our lawsuit against the school and my three tormenters since I gave my deposition. "OK? Was the offer good?"

"Yeah I guess. A fairly large monetary payoff. More than we expected actually," Dad said. "And they agreed to fast-track your transfer to Arcadia."

"Alright? That's good news, isn't it?" I guess it was, even if it meant I had to start going to a real school again. Being on my own was bliss compared to Winslow, but it could get lonely. The only people I talked to besides my Dad were Insight and Calle. One of them was my lawyer, and the other… I didn't really know if Insight thought me of as a friend or just a client. I hoped it was the former. Arcadia had to be better. Everyone knew they had a zero tolerance policy on bullying. I could get a fresh start there, and a really good education.

"Yeah. They want us to sign an NDA on everything also, and agree to drop the suit against the rest of the defendants and not bring any action related to this against any other parties in the future." Dad continued. The school was still trying to protect the three bitches? I guess that makes sense. They just want it to go away, and not deal with any bad PR in the future either.

"So the three of them just get away with it? No punishment or anything?" I asked.

Dad shrugged. Did I still care about the trio? If I was honest, then yeah I still did. They made my life hell for over a year. I lost my best friend. They could've killed me with that locker stunt. Of course it bothered me that they were going to get away with everything. But I didn't want it to. I wanted to move on. I wanted to be a better person than them. I didn't want them to still affect me so much, all these weeks later.

"You should accept it then Dad," I said. "I don't care about them anymore. I just want to move on."

Dad smiled at me. "That's good to hear Taylor. I'm happy for you."

"Has this been stressing you out lately? Is that where you were earlier this week when you didn't come home?" I asked.

Dad frowned. He shook his head a little and sighed. I waited a minute but it didn't seem like he was going to share anymore.

"Dad," I said softly. I reached forward and grasped his hand. I looked straight into his eyes and smiled gently. "You can talk to me you know." Oh god, was I doing it again.

Dad sighed again. "No… I met with Alan."

Guilt hit me like a punch in the gut. I hadn't really considered what my thing with Emma must have been doing to Dad and Alan. They were best friends since childhood, as close as Emma and I used to be. Did I destroy a lifelong friendship? If I had just kept Dad out of it… "I'm sorry Dad. It's all my fau-"

"No Taylor," Dad interrupted me. "Alan acting like a complete asshat is not in any conceivable way your fault. It's just… I don't understand how he could act like this all of a sudden. I thought he was always raising his girls right, and then this… I don't know what happened to them."

I wonder if Dad would stick up for me like Emma's dad did for her if I ever went completely psycho too. I'd like to think so. "You didn't get into a brawl or anything like that with him, did you?"

Dad grinned sheepishly but didn't deny anything. "What, you worried about your old man? I could take that prissy Ivy-league milksop any day of the week."

I groaned. Dad thought of himself as a real tough guy. It felt good to have an honest conversation with him. It made me want to open up too. Sneaking around these past few weeks, keeping secrets from my Dad when he's supported me so much… it made me feel sick. "Dad, I have something to tell you. I… I have other powers besides just healing."

He went very still. A strange look crossed his face. "Alright. Like what?"

"Lots of stuff. I can turn invisible. I can make people fall asleep. Illusions. I can create small thunder blasts. And I'm still gaining new powers too!"

He took a deep breath. "How long have you known about these other powers?"

I shrugged. "A while now."

He didn't look too satisfied with that answer. "This… doesn't change anything though, right?" He asked hopefully. I knew exactly what he meant.

"Dad… you can't ask me not to use my other powers." How could I convince him? "You know, there's been all these studies about what happens to capes who don-"

"So what?" He interrupted, looking a little bit irritated. "I'm supposed to be OK with whatever you want to do? I don't get a say in it?"

A hundred right things to say rushed through my mind, but none of it felt like it was ME. The problem with just me was that I didn't know how to respond to him.

"Taylor, please tell me you haven't already done something incredibly stupid like sneak out in the middle of the night to look for crime." Uh oh. Dad looked pretty angry now.

I really wished he hadn't asked that. Why did I think this was a good idea? I could lie. It would be so easy to lie. I just sat there silently instead.

Dad abruptly stood up. "I can't deal with this right now." He said, and started heading towards the front door.

What the hell. "You're just leaving? Where are you going?" I asked.

"Out. We'll talk about this later Taylor!" He yelled back at me as he stepped through the front door and slammed it shut.

Un-fucking-believable. I wasn't going to stay around the house and mope all day. I was going to be a hero, even if it pissed Dad off.

I went up to my room and grabbed all the cash I had along with a backpack. I hadn't bought or acquired any gear yet (except the small knife I pulled out of my stomach), opting instead to wait until I could start making real money healing. After debating with myself for a second, I stuck the switchblade into my jeans pocket. I had a decent amount of allowance money saved up, since I didn't have a social life and I wasn't one of those girls who bought a lot of makeup or clothes. It wasn't much, but I could get started on some essentials today.

I left the house and hopped onto a bus. My first stop was a large sporting goods and hunting store downtown. It's amazing what you can buy in a store like this. Hunting rifles for one. I knew my dad kept one underneath his bed, but I wasn't going to go near something like that. I did buy a collapsible baton with a sheath, a few more canisters of pepper spray, some heavy duty zip ties, and a small flashlight/stun gun combo device. All together, it was only around $100, which was a bit less than I expected.

I briefly considered getting a machete before deciding against it. Chopping someone's hand off was a quick way to get me labeled as a villain, and it would also be really gross. I stared longingly at the compound bows and crossbows they had on display for a minute. I think Shadow Stalker used a hunting crossbow when she first started out as an independent hero to great effect. Probably too great of an effect actually, if the rumors of her being press-ganged into the Wards were true. Insight had mentioned that Shadow Stalker was a real psycho, but as long as she was only busting up gang members and villains, I didn't really care. As cool as they looked, I couldn't buy one. The price tags on those things were beyond my reach for now. Plus, they were really dangerous. I didn't want to accidentally kill someone with an arrow.

The cashier eyed me funnily as I paid him in cash for the various weapons I picked out, but I didn't pay him any mind. My next stop was a small electronics store nearby. I had one more item on my shopping list: a prepaid cell phone. I felt… conflicted about getting one. If I was going to be out in the field, not having a cell phone to call the police or the PRT was just stupid. Even so, with the way that Mom... Dad wouldn't be happy about it either, but he doesn't have to know about this. I paid for a small, brick shaped phone. It didn't have a touch screen or any fancy gizmos on it,

I wasn't ready to head home yet, so I stopped by the library to check my PHO messages, and saw that I had new messages from Quinn Calle and Insight. I opened up Calle's message first.

 _QCalle: Hello Miss Nightingale! Good news, we can reschedule your power testing for this upcoming Wednesday, on March 2nd. If that works for you, just send back a quick confirmation and plan on meeting at my office at 9:00am on Wednesday so we can head out together._

Finally, some good news. I sent back a quick reply to confirm and moved onto Insight's message.

 _Insight: Hey, I'm sending this to all my contacts. A new parahuman was spotted in the Docks district last night, and was seen getting into a fight with some Merchants. If you have info on the new parahuman, contact me and we can work out payment._

What the hell? How did what happened last night get out so fast? I checked the Brockton Bay news section and groaned at the newest topic I saw.

 **Welcome to the Parahumans Online message boards.**  
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 **Topic: To the hero with the creepy third hand...  
In: Boards ► Brockton Bay news  
Imp **(Original Poster)  
Posted On Feb 27th 2011:  
Thanks for saving me last night from the Merchants! I owe you one! PM me sometime!

 **(Showing page 1 of 3)**

 **►Saskatchew**  
Replied On Feb 27th 2011:  
Wut? Is this post a joke? Is there really a new cape in BB with 3 arms?

 **►Xylophone**  
Replied On Feb 27th 2011:  
Ewww, that's really gross. As if there werent enough weirdos in BB already.

 **►Chilldrizzle**  
Replied On Feb 27th 2011:  
PandaForce  
If it is a new cape, it's probably a Case 53. They can't control what they look like. Don't be such a [censored].

 **►Brocktonite03** (Veteran Member)  
Replied On Feb 27th 2011:  
I wonder if this new case53 cape will join Faultline's crew. That's where most of the ones in BB end it.

 **►Feychick**  
Replied On Feb 27th 2011:  
How do we even if it's cape? We don't know powers this guy has, or even if he has any. What if he's just some mutant that was born with 3 arms. That's a real thing right? I read an article online about this guy who devoured his twin in utero, and when he was born, there were like bits of the dead twin sticking out of it.

 **►Ekul**  
Replied On Feb 27th 2011:  
Feychick  
... o_o wtf man

 **►Overwatch**  
Replied On Feb 27th 2011:  
To the new hero: if you're reading this, PM me. I have information and a proposition for you.

 **►Qwop**  
Replied On Feb 27th 2011:  
Feychick  
I dont even know how to respond to that.

OP - If you're being serious about the new parahuman, at least share some more details. Was it a him or a her? What powers did you witness? General physical description?

 **►Feychick**  
Replied On Feb 27th 2011:  
What? It's a real thing. I read about it online!

 **End of Page. 1,** **2** **,** **3**

I was going to kill Aisha if I ever saw her again. At least she didn't give out any more details about me. Hopefully, nobody will ever connect me to this embarrassing post. Who was Overwatch? I had seen the name floating around online a few times, but there were any real details about it. Something to ask Calle or Insight about I guess. I sent off a quick reply to Insight, feigning ignorance, and decided to head home. I still didn't know what I was going to do about Dad… but being hero? It was the only thing I had right now.


	2. Interlude - 1x (Insight)

**Interlude - 1.x (Insight)**

March 4th, 2011

Lisa sighed as she started booting up her telecom software and voice changer on her laptop. Four different camera feeds started feeding her information on her external monitors. She didn't like working with villains, and she especially hated working with Coil. Still, his job offers weren't exactly the kind she could afford to refuse.

"Hello Undersiders," she drawled out through the microphone. The voice modulating software would ensure that her age, gender, and some speech patterns would be hidden. "This is Insight. I'll be your eyes in the sky this evening."

"Whoa, the boss sprung for you? That couldn't have been cheap." A cocky, young-ish sounding male voice came through one of the radio channels. _Regent,_ Lisa thought, _Coil's direct link to the Undersiders. Doesn't feel any compunction working for Coil._ Based on what Lisa knew about him, it was likely that he had a more severe criminal history under another alias, and was rebranding himself in Brockton Bay to hide from his past. His costume looked more appropriate for a Renaissance fair than fighting capes: a white frilly shirt, dark leggings, tall leather boots, and a Venetian mask. He also had a garish-looking scepter and two empty duffel bags strapped to his back.

"Glad to have you with us, Insight." A deep, rumbling voice spoke out next. "Not that I'm ungrateful that you're here, but I was under the impression that we'd be getting backup in the field?"

Grue. Lisa liked Grue. She was the one who put him in touch with the Undersiders a few months back, which was something she still slightly regretted. He seemed like a decent guy who was only trying to do right by his family. Coil wasn't the type of employer he should be getting involved with. He was wearing his normal costume of black motorcycle leathers and dark helmet, except he also had a shotgun loaded with bean bag rounds slung over his shoulder.

Coil had asked her to find three young parahumans for his new team to go with Regent, and so far she had only found Grue and Bitch. There was a promising young telekinetic that had triggered recently, but she was quickly snatched up by the Empire 88. She was 99.99% sure the backup she had found them for tonight would not join the Undersiders permanently, which was a shame considering how powerful and useful her power was. Each of the Undersiders was wearing a helmet or mask that had a small built-in camera and radio, so that she could direct them tonight.

Bitch, the third member of the group, was quietly staying in the back next to her dogs. She wasn't wearing a costume, just a thick coat and dark jeans, with heavy combat boots and a cheap Rottweiler mask to cover her face. The three dogs were already the sizeof small ponies and they were gradually growing larger. The view was grotesque as flesh kept splitting and expanding, revealing layers of muscles and bone. Bone plates and spikes slowly spread over the exterior of the creatures as the transformation took place.

"Yes Grue," Insight spoke into the microphone. "I'm just here to run the command center. Don't be alarmed, your backup shouldbe arriving from the alley to the west of you right now."

Three of the camera feeds on her monitor swiveled towards the western alley, as a dark, almost intangible shape slowly approached the three Undersiders.

"Holy shit, bug girl!" Regent exclaimed.

Grue elbowed Regent in the ribs as he stepped forward to introduce himself. "Hey, I'm Grue. You're Arachne right?"

"Yyyeesss" Lisa shuddered as the chittering of a thousand bugs sounded out Arachne's reply. Her entire form was covered by amass of insects and bugs that were constantly moving and flitting around on her body. The only clearly visible part of her visage was the twin large, yellow eye lenses on her mask.

"Ahem," Grue cleared his throat in a valiant attempt to hide his discomfort. "Glad to have you with us here tonight. I was under theimpression that you were more of a rogue or vigilante? What made you want to help us tonight?"

"Hhheelllp againsssst villainsss" the swarm responded as Arachne's yellow eye lenses stared straight at Grue. "Wwon't join Underrrssidersss."

"Well we're glad to have you with us tonight, at least." Grue responded easily. He had a gift with getting along with people, which made him a natural leader.

Lisa wondered if the bug girl knew how creepy she truly was. Still, her power was incredibly useful, and the two of them had worked together to survey the casino and to plan the hit. As far as she could tell, Arachne seemed to have some personal vendettaagainst the ABB. Maybe something to do with her trigger event? _60% certainty._ The ABB used to be a two-bit gang run by Oni Lee before Lung came to town with his lieutenants after Myrddin had driven them out of Chicago. Lung had quickly subsumed the ABB, and established the gang as a powerhouse after they had soundly driven off both the Empire 88 and the local Protectorate in a huge gang fight that had left two blocks of the Dock area completely destroyed.

"Alright everyone," Insight started speaking. "You guys have been informed of your roles already. Regent, Arachne will be assisting you with your part. The plan is simple. Grue and Bitch will crash the party and cause some chaos. Arachne and Regent will sneak in through the side and rob them blind."

"Yup, I've got my loot bags all prepared and everything," Regent drawled as he twirled his scepter.

"Right," Lisa continued. "None of their capes are here right now. The ABB recently established a supply house close to Empireterritory, and they just happened to receive an anonymous tip that the Empire are planning to hit it tonight. They should all be preparing for an ambush right about now. We want to be in and out before they have a chance to respond."

"Is the Empire actually launching an attack?" Grue asked.

"Yup," Insight smirked. "They just happened to receive an anonymous tip about that new safe house too."

"Heh, it's amazing that nobody's tried to kill you yet, you know?" Regent said with a lazy tone.

"Pshhh, nobody knows who I am" Insight responded. _Except Coil_ , she thought bitterly. She didn't know how far his reach wasexactly, but she had a feeling that not even the Protectorate could protect her from him if he turned on her. "Get in position and hang tight for now. I'm monitoring police bands and traffic cameras. I'll let you know when to start."

So far all the Undersiders had done was some relatively small robberies and corporate theft; some financial records from Medhall, a shipment of encrypted SIM cards, and stuff like that. Now they were hitting the Ruby Casino, one of the ABB's higher value assets. Hopefully her name would be kept out of it, but she was still worried for the Undersiders and Arachne. Lisa wasn't sure whyCoil was ordering this attack. Her power told her Coil wanted the Undersiders to raise their profile, and that something had happened recently that made him speed up his plans, whatever they were. Any finer details were lost to her. The ABB had around half a dozen capes, and with any luck all of them would be tied up tonight and unable to respond.

Lisa had tried to hire Uber and Leet for the job instead of Arachne, but they had (smartly) refused after learning who the target was. _Not as stupid as they looked_ , Lisa thought, _which makes sense considering how long they've survived in Brockton Bay._

 _Any minute now_ , Lisa thought. She was getting more and more restless as she stared at her mapping software. The casino was housed inside what used to be a medium-sized two-story warehouse. The base floor was where all the gaming took place, and asingle stair-case along the back led up to a couple of offices that made up the second floor, which only covered about one-third of the total warehouse. The only windows were dotted along near the roof of the warehouse, out of reach of normal humans.

Minutes later, 911 calls started pouring in from the area that Insight was tracking. The Empire and ABB had started their clash.

"Showtime," Insight said. "Bitch, Grue, you guys are up."

The main door leading into the casino were always guarded by two armed ABB members, but the Undersiders weren't about to use the front door. Three giant monstrosities bursted out of an alley a block away and sprinted towards the back of the casino. One of the monstrous beasts, lagging a bit behind the other two, was carrying Bitch and Grue. The loading bay garage doors at the back ofthe building were reinforced on the inside with metal and wood beams, but they offered little resistance as two of Bitch's monstrosities, each weighing upwards of two tons, slammed into them.

The metal gave way with a piercing shriek, and the large bay doors collapsed inwards into the casino. Screams started emanatingfrom inside as the two beasts barked and howled. Grue's signature black smoke started pouring out from behind the two beasts. "Get down and drop your weapons!" Grue yelled into the building. Insight managed to get a quick view inside before Grue's helmet-cam was obscured by his smoke. There were less than dozen armed ABB thugs inside, and around fifty patrons that were just entering full blown panic mode at the sudden appearance of the large, van-sized monstrosities.

"Arachne, Regent, time to head inside." Insight said. A thin, silken rope ladder unfurled from the side of the building, over one of the second floor windows.

"Uhhh, you sure this thing can support our weight?" Regent asked.

"Yes," Insight responded. "Spider-silk. NOW GET MOVING."

Lisa turned her attention back to Grue and Bitch. The ground floor of the casino was in total pandemonium. Grue and Bitch were hiding behind a layer of smoke and one of Bitch's dogs near the new whole in the building they made while the other two beasts knocked tables and ABB thugs around. Most of the occupants inside the building, including several of the ABB thugs, had made a mad dash towards the exit after getting over the initial shock. A few of the braver ABB gunmen had stuck around and wereshooting blindly at the black fog covering Grue and Bitch or at one of the monstrous dogs. Grue periodically popped out from behind the doggie cover to fire a bean bag round at the remaining gunmen. _Idiots,_ Insight thought. _They're going to get some of their own people killed with a bad ricochet._ The few stray bullets that were actually on target bounced harmlessly off the thick bone plates of Bitch's enhanced dogs.

Regent and Arachne had reached the second floor window a few moments later. With a quick bash of his scepter, Regent broke the window and carefully slipped inside the office room. Arachne followed seconds later. There were four ABB gang members in the office who were already on the ground, writhing in pain as their faces and mouths were covered by a multitude of cockroaches, spiders, and other bugs.

"Bug girl, I am _really_ glad you are on our side tonight." Regent muttered as he stepped past the four downed guards, tasing one of them at random with the stun gun hidden in his scepter.

A round table dominated the center of the room, with a large pile of cash resting on top. Ignoring the rest of the downed ABB members, Regent and Arachne quickly set about filling their duffel bags with the cash on the table. A large safe rested in the backcorner of the office, but Lisa doubted that there would be enough time for her to take a crack at it.

After a few minutes of loading the bags, Arachne suddenly stilled.

"Hello? Bug girl?" Regent waved his hand in front of her face. "You still with us?"

"C-c-cape incoming, South-South-East," Arachne's swarm voice reported in over the radio.

 _Shit! Too soon._ "Can you tell which one?" Insight asked.

"Ffflying. Shikigami."

Lisa breathed out a sigh of relief. Shikigami. Not Lung or Oni Lee then. Lung was virtually undefeatable in combat, and Oni Lee was an absolute psychopath when he was creating his suicide bomber clones with his grenade bandolier.

Still, Shikigami was dangerous. She was young, very likely a recent trigger, and the ABB's newest cape. She had a shaker ability that let her telekinetically control paper in a certain radius around her, which she liked to demonstrate by flying small origami swans around. A lot of people thought she was weak and a joke when the ABB first announced that they had recruited her. Popular opinion changed very quickly after she gouged out the eyes of a dozen Empire 88 thugs with confetti. Of all the ways to die, death by a million paper cuts had to be among the most unpleasant.

"Grue, behind you! Shikigami incoming." Insight yelled out.

Grue muttered a curse and quickly turned his head. Shikigami was rapidly approaching the casino riding atop a large cloud of multicolored paper and confetti. The ABB cape wore a blood red kimono with a white floral pattern etched onto it, along with a painted feminine Kabuki mask. Her waist length black hair flowed freely behind her as she flew towards the Undersiders. _Short_ ,Lisa thought. _5'0 to 5'3. Either a petite young woman, or more likely, a young teenager. Probably twelve to fifteen years old. Hesitant to engage the Undersiders while outnumbered. Hypothesis: wants to keep us engaged until other ABB capes can show up._

"Time to leave! Grue, Bitch, go dark and pick up the others!" Insight ordered.

Bitch whistled sharply and signaled for her dogs to retreat. Grue shifted his cloud of darkness in between them and Shikigami just as a tendril of multicolored confetti snapped out of her cloud and disappeared into the fog that was covering Grue and Bitch.

"Regent, Arachne, pack it up. Time to leave!"

"There's still a lot of money left here!" Regent said indignantly.

"Leave it, no time!" Insight ordered.

"Gah!" Regent cried out in frustration. He grabbed the duffel bags and dragged them to the window before tossing them out. "Buggirl, what are you doing? Let's go."

Arachne pulled out a small lighter from her utility belt, flicked it on, and tossed it onto the pile of cash that was still on the table.

Regent snorted. "Damn girl, you're crazy. Lung is going to kill you. Well, all of us too I guess. Still not sure why we decided this was a good idea."

The two of them made their way down the rope ladder just as Bitch's dogs bounded around the corner.

"Arachne, swarm her!" Insight yelled out.

A swarm of bugs, barely visible in the dark of night, leapt out from the surrounding streets and buildings, forming several tendrilsthat converged towards Shikigami. The cloud of paper that she was flying on bursted open in response and formed a spherical barrier of rapidly moving paper and confetti that orbited her at breakneck speeds. Bugs and insects died by the thousands as they threw themselves into Shikigami's barrier. The rapidly moving pieces of paper and confetti were able to shred the bugs with ease, but the sheer number of bugs that were present was able to restrict both her vision and mobility. Each bug death wasn't in vain, as scraps of paper and confetti slowly fell from Shikigami as they were rendered useless from the accumulation of bug guts and piecesthat were stuck on them. By the time the swarm dispersed, Shikigami's floating paper cloud was noticeably smaller, as was the insect population within several blocks of her. The Undersiders were also nowhere in sight.

Lisa sighed in relief as the Undersiders moved further away from ABB territory. It looked like they were able to make a clean getaway. "Is anyone hurt?" She asked the group.

"Bitch is bleeding a bit." Grue said. While his costume didn't have any exposed skin, Bitch's had a bit around the neck area as well as through the sleeves of her jacket. Blood was trickling down from her neck as well as down her arms.

"I'm fine," Bitch grunted in response.

"Yeah, just some papercuts!" Regent said, with a roll of his eyes.

"You'll want to get those wounds looked at. Make sure that the cuts are cleaned out properly and they don't get infected." Insight said. "I don't think I need to tell you guys to lay low for the next few days or hell, even weeks. The ABB is not going to take this lying down."

"Yup," Grue replied. "Don't worry, we know how to keep a low profile. Arachne, thanks a lot for your help today. You really helped us get away back there. We owe you one."

The bug covered cape nodded slowly in acknowledgment.

"We could've taken her," Bitch muttered. "She was only one person."

"Yeah probably," Insight agreed, "But what about the next three ABB capes that show up while we were tied up fighting her."

Bitch chose not to respond.

"C'mon guys, any day where we walk away unharmed and richer is a win in my books." Insight continued.

"Hey you don't need to convince me," Regent replied. "I'm all for running away."

"Yeah, good work all around, guys." Grue added.

Whatever Coil was hoping to get out of this, it had better be worth it. Most of the bills that Arachne and Regent grabbed from thetable were in small denominations. Lisa estimated that there couldn't have been more than $100,000 in the duffel bags. A sizeable haul, even split five ways, but hardly worth having Lung as an enemy. Lisa only hoped that everyone would survive Lung's retribution.

* * *

 **Canon Omake - Myrddin is a Wizard**

"Myrddin…"

"Yes Hero?"

"Look, Rebecca asked me to talk to you. Everyone in the PRT wants you to tone it down with all the wizard stuff."

"I'll do no such thing, you foolish muggle."

"What the hell is a muggle? C'mon man, just tone it down a little. You're making people nervous."

"… you know, I saved your life against the Siberian."

"Ahhh not this again."

"It's true! She ripped your head off and I used Wish to ALTER THE VERY FABRIC OF REALITY to undo it."

"The PRT scientists haven't been able to find any temporal anomalies to back up your claim, and you've never been able to do it again!"

"The magical stress of casting Wish has rendered me unable to cast it again! I told you that already!"

"Just… tone it down, OK?"

"… I hate you."


	3. Accelerando 2-1

**Accelerando – 2.1**

March 2nd, 2011

Everything was changing so quickly. The last two months had been a comfortable routine, but it couldn't have lasted. At times it felt more like I was just hiding from the world, serving out some kind of self-imposed exile. I had graduated from the introductory self defense class I was taking and had moved up to a more advanced class. According to my instructors, I was a natural. With my new slightly enhanced dexterity and sense of balance, the classes had been easy for me.

Things between Dad and I had been awkward since our fight the previous weekend. I couldn't find it in me to stay mad at him for too long, especially since I could admit to myself that I had acted pretty stupidly. Still, the uneasiness between the two of us was stifling. We were barely speaking to each other besides the perfunctory daily greetings and goodbyes. It felt like… right after mom died… when Dad had shut down and could barely drag himself out of bed on the bad days. To make matters worse, I had barely seen him at all the last few days, as he was busy finalizing the details of the settlement with the school.

It had taken every ounce of restraint in me not to sneak out again last Sunday night after my little shopping spree. I didn't think I'd be able to get any sleep that night, but I was so emotionally exhausted that I actually fell asleep quickly and slept through the entire night.

I tried to put those unpleasant thoughts away as I got ready for my big day. Dad knew I was meeting with Calle today and that I was going to the PRT for power testing, and was a bit upset that he couldn't come with me without blowing my secret identity. Having Calle there with me would be a big support though, and I was excited to meet Panacea.

Despite how eager I was at unlocking new powers, it took me forever to make a decision on the one I got from saving Aisha from the Merchants. There were some master/stranger powers that seemed like they would be useful, such as one that would cause my victim to regard me as a friend and unable to attack me, or another one that would cause those who heard my voice to obey my suggestions as long as it wasn't something crazy. I was too scared to choose one of them though. Part of me didn't like the idea of having that kind of control over another sentient being, and a more pragmatic part was worried about compared to Canary.

Canary, real name Paige Mcabee, was a rogue who could control people who heard her sing, and she was fast on her way to becoming a famous singer before getting arrested last year. Apparently she had used her power to force her ex-boyfriend to mutilate himself. Everything I had read or seen about her case so far had painted her as a heartless monster, but Insight was convinced it was all some sort of big PRT conspiracy to punish an independent cape who wouldn't sign up with the Protectorate. It was a bit far-fetched, even for Insight. She had also tried to convince me that Dragon wasn't a real person, but a team of Tinkers pooling their resources and talent together for greater fame, so I was taking her conspiracy theories with a grain of salt. Maybe I should ask Calle about it later.

I eventually settled on a thinker power, one that would let me read the surface thoughts of people around me. I didn't think it was actual mind reading; maybe it was just a form of super cold reading, letting me make deductions based on facial expressions or body languages. I had tested it out a few times on strangers I passed while jogging, but that hadn't yielded anything interesting. I didn't want to use it on Dad either; it felt like an uncomfortable invasion of privacy… or maybe I was just scared to find out what he was really thinking these days. I had a bad feeling that one day I'd really regret choosing this power. Regardless of what the power actually did, I was definitely not sharing it with the rest of the world. I was already trying to avoid comparisons with Canary. Being compared to the Simurgh would be infinitely worse.

I was wearing my more "business formal" clothes again with a domino mask, except instead of having to find somewhere to change once I left my house, I could simply turn invisible and sneak out now. How often I wished I could be invisible when I was still at Winslow and spent every day trying to dodge my bullies. It was… liberating, to be able walk down the street or through a crowd without drawing any attention. I was constantly worried about getting hit by cars though. And joggers.

Calle was waiting at the lobby of his firm by the time I got there, where he was casually chatting with the receptionist. "Ah, Miss Nightingale," he greeted me. "Just the lady I was waiting for."

I smiled easily at him and greeted him. Calle had a way of making people feel at ease. It was easy to see why he was so successful at what he did.

Calle led me towards a meeting room before stopping to say, "I have a surprise for you inside."

Uh oh, I didn't like the sound of that. When it came to being Taylor Hebert, surprises were rarely a good thing. I pulled on my new thinker power to see what Calle was thinking. _Happy to see me. Thinks he'll enjoy working with me. Considers me to be a good kid; smart too._ Awww, that made me feel warm inside. Knowing that he genuinely liked me and wasn't just pretending because I was a client made me appreciate him even more. _He's glad that I'm not one of those dumb capes whose first instinct is to sneak out in the middle of the night to pick a fight with a gang member._ Oops. Well, he never needs to find out about that. We stopped outside the meeting room as Calle gestured for me to head inside. I hesitated.

"Go on then," he prodded. "It's nothing bad, I promise."

I could always fire him later if he was lying to me. I headed inside where I found a woman waiting for us. She had a distinctive painted doll mask, curly blonde hair, and was wearing an intricate baby blue Victorian style gown. I recognized her as Parian, one of the independent rogues in Brockton Bay. Based on what Insight had told me, she was a fledgling fashion designer who made high end custom clothing for the wealthy, and could also be seen around town doing publicity gigs with her giant, animated stuffed creatures. She was a few inches shorter than me, and altogether she was absolutely adorable.

She greeted me with a wave as I entered the room and introduced herself. "Hey there, I'm Parian." _Parian, eager to make a connection with the new healer in town. Positive impression of me based on what Calle has told her. Thinks I'm pretty, and especially likes my hair._

Wh-what? Parian thinks I'm pretty? I blushed as I shut off the power quickly. Did this thing actually work, or was it just making stuff up? I tried to put it aside as I introduced myself. "Hi, I'm Nightingale. Pleasure to meet you." It actually was a little creepy to talk to someone behind a full face mask, since I couldn't see her eyes or facial expressions. Maybe that's why all the local heroes didn't wear them. I smiled and tried my best to hide my discomfort.

"Me too." She said. "Calle's told me a bit about you. I'm happy to be here for this."

I took a quick look around the room. There was a privacy screen in one of the corners, and there was a spread of coffee, juices, fruits, pastries, and sandwiches spread out on the table in the center of the room. It seemed entirely excessive for three people, but I guess that's one of the perks of the corporate lifestyle. There was also a medium sized box on the table.

Calle entered behind me. "Ah, I wanted the two of you to meet. Parian is also a client of mine, and I think you can guess why she's here today."

I had talked with Calle a bit before about what I was looking for in a costume. I mostly just made it clear that I didn't want anything unpractical; nothing that showed a lot of skin or cleavage, no high heels, etc. "Sure, it's about my costume right? We hadn't settled on anything last time we spoke about."

Parian chuckled a bit at that. "Well actually, I already made a prototype for you to try."

Well that was a bit of a surprise. I was suddenly very nervous at what these two were going to make me wear.

"Don't worry!" Calle assured me. "It's very tasteful and elegant."

"How were you even able to make something in my size?" I asked.

"Ah, well, there are security scanners in the lobby." Calle said sheepishly. "We don't really advertise it, but we take security pretty seriously here, especially since so many of our clients are parahumans."

Parian gestured towards the package on the table. "I made a prototype of what I think would be a very appropriate costume for you. This version is just made of regular fabrics, but the final version will be made of much more protective materials, _including_ black widow spider silk for the undersuit part!"

"Black widow silk? How do you get that?" The thought of someone harvesting silk from a factory filled with millions of black widow spiders was disturbing. The thought that said factory might be in Brockton Bay was downright terrifying.

Parian laughed softly. "Well I certainly don't harvest it myself. I buy it from a source. It's very expensive, but sooo worth it for the undersuit. It's extremely tough, and more comfortable than any cloth you're ever worn before."

I didn't really like the idea that Calle and Parian had already conspired to make me something, but I was grateful that I'd have something more than just a simple domino mask to wear to my PRT meeting. I grabbed the package and headed towards the privacy screen.

"Nightingale," Parian called out to me as I walked behind the screen. "You can probably notice that there's some foam padding inserted into various parts of the costume. Those are placeholders to represent where the armored inserts will go in the final version."

"OK, thanks!" I responded. It was good to know that I could expect at least some level of protection beyond just spider silk. Not that I doubted her claims on how tough spider silk was, but I'd definitely be more comfortable knowing that I'd have more than a few thin layers of fabric to protect me.

I opened the package and started taking out the different components. There was a lot of… white. I guess that made sense, if I was going to be a healer and volunteering in hospitals. There was a white spandex bodysuit meant to be worn under the other pieces. It covered my body from the neck down to my feet, so I didn't need to worry about showing any skin. Next was a white one piece dress that was meant to be worn over the bodysuit. It looked a bit like a cross between Glory Girl and Panacea's costume. There was a hood that would hide my head and my distinctive hair, like Panacea's costume, but the rest of the dress was reminiscent of Glory Girl's outfit. There was a round, red emblem on the left side of the chest area, which depicted the silhouette of a small bird in flight. A small, red, half-cape attached to the left shoulder of the dress via a magnetic clasp and hung straight down the back of the dress. I changed into the outfit and starting feeling around the dress for the foam padding that would represent where the armored inserts would be. The chest and upper back areas had the armored padding hidden within, which would cover my vital organs but wouldn't limit my range of motion or flexibility. The long sleeves of the dress hid built-in elbow guards and armored padding on the forearms. The skirt stopped a bit above my knees, and there were armored inserts hidden in the pleats of the skirt as well. Finally, there was a pair of leather boots, dark blue gloves, a small utility belt, and a white domino mask to complete the outfit.

I finished putting everything on, and turned towards the floor standing mirror conveniently located behind the privacy screen. Calle really did think of everything. He was definitely worth every penny I was… well not paying yet, but I assume I'll be paying him a lot eventually.

The costume was amazing. Even if it was just a rough draft, the quality of the craftsmanship was way better than any of the clothes I owned. I looked unrecognizable. I adjusted my posture a little to make sure I wasn't slouching as I examined myself in the mirror. The figure reflected back at me was undoubtedly heroic and noble. It was a far cry from my ratty hoodie with its knife holes. Even with the padding, it didn't look bulky at all. If anything, it just made me look slightly less skinny, which was an improvement. Hmm, I wonder how much protection such thin armored inserts could actually provide.

"Come on out already so we can seeee!" I heard Parian call out.

Parian literally squee'd as I stepped out from behind the privacy screen. "You look amazing!" She gushed as she circled around me. For some reason she reminded me of a feline stalking its prey. "This is by far my favorite part of the job, seeing my creations come to life like this."

I blushed hard at her compliment, and suddenly wished I had a full face mask to hide how red my face was getting. Calle had insisted that my eyes and mouth be partly visible while I was healing, so I didn't creep out any patients. "Th-thanks." I uttered softly. "Your work is amazing." I was never one of those girly girls who were really into clothes and fashion, but this outfit really was incredible. I was almost too scared to ask how much the final version was going to cost me.

A small fabric tape measurer shot up on its own and started circling around me. I stood still and tried very hard not to fidget as Parian started measuring various parts of the costume on me. "Fits pretty well," she said after a few minutes. "I think I'll tighten up the waist a little on the final version just a little bit."

Parian hung around and we chatted for a little bit afterwards and we exchanged numbers. She invited me to come visit her workshop sometime, which I promised to do. The final version of the suit was going to be dreadfully expensive and she was just waiting on a deposit before she got started, though apparently she was going give me a small discount.

"One more thing," Calle said, as he picked up another box that was sitting on one of the shares. "A mutual friend of ours also wanted to give you a present."

I opened the box. Inside was a carrying case containing a small lute, a little bit less than two feet long. The main body was oval shaped and was constructed out of a beautiful sand colored wood. It was a thing of beauty, and it definitely couldn't have been cheap. I picked it up gingerly and strummed one of the strings. The lute practically hummed with power. Somehow I knew I could use it to channel my abilities. There was a small note in the package, which I pulled out next.

 _Hey sexy, go knock 'em dead today_ (◕‿◕ )  
 _xoxo wuv 'I'  
PS u still owe me pics _

Despite the immaturity of the note, I felt myself tearing up at the gift. I hadn't received a gift from anybody except Dad since I started high school, and I found myself surprisingly moved that Insight had gotten this for me. The lute was… perfect. I didn't know how to play it of course, but I resolved to learn as soon as possible.

Soon after, Calle was driving us to the PRT headquarters for my power testing meeting with Panacea. Since the PRT were expecting us, we were given directions to enter through the private employee garage entrance, letting us bypass the crowds of people loitering around the lobby.

I had only been to the PRT headquarters once before, on a school fieldtrip back when I was in the 6th grade. I remember thinking it felt more like a tourist attraction than a proper police station. The PRT headquarters was a large steel and glass building in the downtown area. The main Protectorate Headquarters was a large floating rig out in the bay that was a popular photography target for denizens on the boardwalk. The Wards however, were housed in the PRT headquarter downtown, which was much closer to Arcadia High School, where most of the Wards were rumored to attend. Tours of the Wards training facility and recreation areas were available. A large gift shop in the lobby was constantly buzzing with visitors, where I bought an Armsmaster action figure last time I was here. There was even a small museum on the history of the PRT on the second floor directly above the lobby.

When Calle pulled into a parking spot inside the private garage, I could see that Panacea was already there, and waiting at the entrance into the building along with her sister, Glory Girl. They were both in costume. Were they waiting for us?

Glory Girl looked every inch like a proper heroine. She was tall, even taller than me by an inch or two, with beautiful shimmering, straight blonde hair. Her outfit was a white one-piece dress with gold accents and a gold belt around her waist. She didn't wear anything to cover her face, though she did have a gold tiara on top of her head. Her white boots even had small heels on them! How could she fight in those?

Her sister Panacea on the other hand looked liked she was hiding as much of herself as possible. Her costume was a long white robe that completely hid her body and covered her head. She was shorter than me by a few inches, and she had curly light brown hair and freckles adorning her face. I sat there for a second in the car, just staring at the two of them.

"Go on," Calle said. "Go make some friends. I'll join you in a minute."

I stared at him incredulously. One does not simply walk up to two famous heroes and befriend them!

He rolled his eyes. "Fine, go network and make some professional connections."

That seemed easier to swallow, but it was still nerve-wracking. I got out of the car and headed towards the two heroes. Glory Girl noticed me as I approached and waved. _You can do this Taylor!_ Before I realized I was doing, I was already calling up my new thinker power to scan their thoughts. I felt a stab of guilt at using it on two heroes, but it was overwhelmed by the terror of a social interaction.

 _Glory Girl. Happy to see a new independent girl hero around her own age. Loves my costume. Notices the similarities to her own. Approves. Wants to befriend me_. What, really? Glory Girl wants to be my friend? That seemed unbelievable. I turned my attention to Panacea. _Panacea… pities me? Thinks I don't know what I'm getting myself into. Hates her power. Hates her life. Hates everything. Hates/loves her mom. Loves Glory Girl. Really loves Glory Girl. REALLY LO-_ I cut my power off. What the hell was that? Was my power screwing with me? There's no way that _THAT_ was Panacea.

Before I could give it any more thought, I was already in front of them.

"Hiii!" Glory Girl greeted me exuberantly. She was apparently just as peppy in real life as she was on TV. "You must be Nightingale. I looove your outfit!"

"Thanks! It's nice to meet you Glory Girl." I responded, trying my hardest not to be awkward.

Glory Girl slung a shoulder around Panacea, who squeaked as she was suddenly yanked forward. "This is my sister Amy!"

"Panacea while I'm in costume," she muttered half-heartedly. I got the feeling that she wasn't nearly as energetic as Glory Girl.

"Nice to meet you, Panacea. Thank you for being here for this."

She smiled weakly at me and nodded. Now that I could see her more up close, I noticed that she had dark bags under eyes, and she looked far more weary and tired than any sixteen year old girl had a right to be. She was after all just in Australia the previous week for the Simurgh attack. Being one of the New Wave kids had always seemed so glamorous when I read about them online, but I guess the responsibility of being Panacea must be crushing. Glory Girl at least didn't look like she had it nearly as bad.

"You can go back to school Glory Girl." Panacea said, turning to look at her sister. "I'll be fine here by myself."

"Nah, I'm totally ditching this afternoon. I think this qualifies as hero work!" Glory Girl said brightly. Were they really that lax about truancy at Arcadia? "So, Nightingale, you're a healer? Can you do anything else?"

I paused for a second. I didn't want all of my abilities to be public knowledge, but I didn't want to hide too much of myself either. At one point I had harbored a fantasy about developing a second cape persona, one that was darker and edgier that I would use to fight crime with. Since coming clean to Dad about the rest of my abilities though, there didn't seem to be too much of a point anymore. "Yeah," I eventually responded. "I'm kind of a grab bag cape. I have a few other minor powers, like invisibility, and I can put people to sleep."

"Ooh, that seems convenient." Glory Girl said. "Can you fly?"

"Umm, not yet." Unfortunately. It was definitely number one on my wish list.

"What do you mean not yet?"

"Ah, I'm still acquiring new powers over time." I admitted.

"Like Myrddin!" Glory Girl gasped. "Are you a wizard too? No wait, you'd be a witch."

"What? No!" I denied. I sent her a halfhearted glare. "I'm a trump. Like Eidolon."

Glory Girl just shrugged. "Hey, Myrddin's badass. There's nothing wrong with being a witch. Besides, I've always liked the hammier capes. Mouse Protector was my favorite hero when I was little."

What? Alexandria is way better than Mouse Protector. Everyone knows that.

"Ames here had a huuuge crush on Hero though!" Glory Girl exclaimed.

Panacea squeaked indignantly at that. "No I didn't! I just liked all the different toys and gadgets he could make!"

"Ah, Alexandria was always my favorite." I chimed in.

Glory Girl grinned at me. "I really mean what I said earlier, that costume is really becoming on you. Then again, if I was on y-"

"VICKY!" Panacea hissed at Glory Girl. She turned to me and squeaked out, "Sorry! She went on patrol with Gallant and Clockblocker earlier this week, and… picked up some bad habits."

Huh? Glory Girl had a huge smile on her face. I felt like I was missing something. It bugged me a little to be out of the loop. Better to nod and go along with it. Luckily I was saved when Calle finally made his way over to join us. "This is Mr. Calle. He's my, well, he's my token adult."

Calle smiled easily at that introduction. "Hello! Quinn Calle, professional adult, at your service."

Panacea and Glory Girl both chuckled at that. Glory Girl eyed him for a few seconds, before saying, "Hey! I know who you are. Mom complains about you all the time."

Calle chuckled. "I don't see what she has to complain about," he said. "All I've done was offered to double her salary and make her a named partner at my firm."

Glory Girl gasped dramatically. "Double you say? You must be quite the scoundrel for her to turn that down."

"Please," Calle said. "You should see the company that _she_ keeps. Why, just look at all the property damage that the eldest daughter of hers causes!"

Glory Girl pouted adorably and muttered something about it not being her fault. It didn't come across as very convincing.

"Well then," Calle continued. "Should we head inside?"

I nodded. I was definitely ready for this.


	4. Accelerando 2-2

**Accelerando – 2.2**

March 2nd, 2011

I went inside the PRT building with my plucky band of adventurers… and by that I meant my lawyer, Glory Girl, and Panacea. We were greeted by a female PRT officer dressed in a simple pantsuit instead of the PRT body armor I was used to seeing on TV, and someone who I assumed was either a scientist or doctor based on his white lab coat.

"Hello, you must be Nightingale." The PRT officer greeted me. "I'm Karen Jones, and we'll be joined with Dr. Feldman here today. He'll be cataloging your power testing results."

The doctor smiled at me. "We're very excited to have you here with us today. We've managed to round up a fair number of volunteers both from within the PRT and from the local hospitals for you to test your powers on. They've all signed extensive waivers already, so don't worry about anything besides healing today. Panacea here has graciously volunteered to use her power to monitor the patients while you heal."

"And I'm told later on we can expect Miss Militia to swing by to have a chat with you!" Karen chimed in.

I perked up at that. Miss Militia was one of the original Wards, and one of the longest serving members of the Protectorate. She was a personal hero of mine, and I was definitely excited to meet her.

We followed the PRT employees through a series of corridors. Unlike the bright and airy lobby which received tourists, the architecture we were passing through were strictly utilitarian. Fluorescent lights lit up the windowless hallways we passed through, and painted lines of different colors provided a roadmap for people to follow. We were following the lines directing us towards the medical wing of the building.

We eventually made our way to the medical wing and stopped right outside the first patient room. Dr. Feldman tapped away at his tablet for a few seconds before turning to address me.

"Let's see, first up we have a Mr. Bryan O'Connor, who was diagnosed six months ago with acute myelogenous leukemia. This will be a good first test." Dr. Feldman said. "Parahuman healers are rare, and healers that can cure cancer are even rarer. Most parahuman healing powers works by increasing the rate of cellular regeneration. In cancer patients, this can often increase the spread of cancer."

I nodded, and our group entered the room. A middle-aged man with thinning red hair was lying down on the hospital bed. His face was a little gaunt, but he didn't look too unhealthy. A teenage boy, maybe a few years older than me, with the same red hair as the man and freckles was sitting by his side.

"Dennis?" Glory Girl asked, with a surprised look on her face.

"Hey Vicky, Amy." The teenage boy responded with a small smile.

Amy greeted Dennis with a small nod, but her eyes were downcast.

There was an awkward silence before Glory Girl cleared her throat. "Dennis goes to school with us at Arcadia." She explained.

He flashed me a wider smile. "Thanks for being here for this, Nightingale. We really appreciate this."

After exchanging greetings with Dennis and his dad, I stepped forward with Panacea to heal him. Panacea went to the opposite side of the hospital bed and gently touched his wrist. There was an incredible pit of nervousness in my stomach. I knew based on what my power told me that it should heal most diseases, but I would be devastated if this somehow didn't work.

I reached for my power and touched Mr. O'Connor gently on his other wrist with my gloved hand. My abilities in general seemed a bit stronger when I was channeling them through my voice, so I took a breath and hummed out, " _spirits of renewal, restore this ailing body."_ Power poured out of me as a warm white light engulfed him.

"Wh-what was that?" Glory Girl asked. "You ARE a witch!"

I glared at her. "My power just works slightly better when I'm channeling it through my voice. I'm NOT a witch."

"Ahem, the cancerous cells are being directly converted into healthy cells." Panacea chimed in as the lightshow started to fade. "Congratulations Mr. O'Connor, you are cancer free."

I breathed out a sigh of relief. I did it! I had just saved a life, the first of hopefully many to come. Dennis let out a laugh as he hugged his dad.

"Wonderful!" Dr. Feldman exclaimed. "Of course, we'll do a full workup for Mr. O'Connor, and we still need to watch out for relapse, but this is wonderful news."

"Thank you so much, Nightingale," Mr. O'Connor said to me. "I can't tell you how much this means to me."

Glory Girl exchanged a few quiet words that I couldn't really hear with Dennis while Panacea stepped outside the room first. I wonder what that was all about? It was general knowledge that Panacea didn't take requests except from the PRT. I couldn't even imagine how many people she'd have to turn down for healing otherwise. Considering she didn't have a separate civilian identity, it must be a terrible strain on her social relationships. I felt silly for thinking that her life as a famous healer must have been all sunshine and rainbows.

I stepped outside to join Panacea and soon we were on our way to the next patient room.

"Our next patient is a Ms. Judy Wallace, who has just started manifesting symptoms of Huntington's disease." Dr. Feldman said. "It's really quite horrible. It's a genetic disease causes the progressive breakdown of nerve cells in the brain over time, and there's no cure for it."

Panacea looked absolutely miserable as we headed into the room. It was common knowledge that she couldn't heal brains, so was she feeling guilty? That's rather silly. It's not her fault that her power doesn't work on brains, and she saves so many other lives.

The patient was young for someone with a fatal brain condition. She couldn't have been more than thirty something years old, and she looked healthy enough. I stepped forward with Panacea and pulled on my healing powers again.

"Um, I think it's working." Panacea said. "It looks like its attacking the mutation in the Huntington gene directly and converting it to its unmated state. I'm not seeing any changes to the brain structure, so it'll require further monitoring."

"Wh-what? I altered her DNA?" That seemed like a big deal.

"Fascinating!" Dr. Feldman exclaimed. "It appears then that your power treats genetic disorders with gene therapy instead of addressing the symptoms. I'd definitely like to study this further."

Neither Panacea nor Dr. Feldman seemed concerned at all. I wished I had spent more time studying up on traditional medicine when I was in the library instead of goofing off on PHO. My healing powers seemed to work by just "pointing and shooting," so I didn't think I needed to bother learning actual biology. That seems pretty foolish now.

Panacea didn't seem particularly happy or unhappy that I could heal brains. I guess it was kind of cool that I could do something she couldn't, but I didn't want her to resent me. I was tempted to use my thought detection power again just to see what she was thinking, but I needed to save my energy for healing.

This process repeated a couple of times until I was too exhausted to continue. A PRT agent with a broken leg and a few cracked ribs was easily healed. Next was a patient suffering from paraplegia, which I was pleasantly surprised to find that I could cure. I also tested my healing power on patients suffering from bipolar disorder and Alzheimer's disease, but it was too soon to tell if it worked. They wanted me to try re-growing an amputee's lost arm, and I made it very clear that I couldn't do that yet. They still made me try though, which just left me and the patient I tried with very disappointed. I was hopeful that eventually I would unlock a more powerful healing ability that would let me regrow limbs. Luckily Panacea was there to grow that patient's arm back, which was incredibly gross to watch happen. The poor patient also looked emaciated by the time she was done. I healed until I needed to take a break to rest my powers, which we used to test my Healing Song on a roomful of PRT agents and employees suffering from various minor injuries and maladies. I wasn't sure how effective it was, but Dr Feldman assured me he'd let me know the results of the full workups they would go through afterwards.

Eventually we stopped outside the final patient room for the day.

"Ah, before you leave, there's one more thing we want you to try." Dr. Feldman said, with a somewhat sheepish look. I had a feeling I wasn't going to like what was coming next. "As you know, a lot of conventional medical practice was turned upside down with the advent of parahuman healing. Many of the things parahumans like you can heal were long thought to be impossible."

I nodded and waited for him to continue.

"In the next room, we have Mrs. Joan Bradshaw and her husband, Terrence Bradshaw. Mrs. Bradshaw was in a serious automotive accident three years ago where she suffered a traumatic head injury that has left her brain dead. Before parahuman healing was possible, most jurisdictions recognized brain death as legal death, and we would not try to prolong life artificially through ventilators and other machines. When parahuman healers started showing up, more and more people have elected to keep their loved ones in this condition alive in private care facilities in hope that a parahuman healer will one day be able to revive them."

"You want me to try to heal her? I… I definitely don't think that's something my power can fix." I said. There's no way that this was going to end well.

"We all know this is a long shot. Don't worry, we made it abundantly clear to Mr. Bradshaw that he shouldn't get his hopes up. We just want you to try." Dr. Feldman replied.

I felt Calle's hand on my shoulder as he squeezed it reassuringly.

"Hey, you don't _have_ to do this if you don't want to, but we're with you if you're willing to try." He said gently.

I sighed and nodded. There was no good reason not to try.

We entered the room. The patient… Joan... laid on the table with a ventilator tube down her throat and numerous other wires and monitoring machines attached to her. Without all the medical equipment attached to her, she'd look like any other healthy woman just sleeping. Her husband, Terrence, stood up from beside her as soon as we entered the room. His face was haggard, and there were deep pockets beneath his eyes, which were full of hope as they bored into me. He walked towards us as we entered the room.

"Thank you for being here." He said quietly.

"I… I don't want yo-" I started to say.

"I know… please, I've heard it all already. I just want you to try." The air of desperation surrounding Terrence was heartbreaking. Three years of holding on to the hope that his wife wasn't gone, that the body he stood vigil over wasn't an empty vessel.

I stepped forward with Panacea towards his wife. She looked peaceful as she lay there unmoving. The muffled whir of the ventilator was the only sound in the room. I reached out and touched her hand gently, and willed my power to flow into her. A warm bright light engulfed her briefly before quickly fading away. Panacea looked up towards me and simply shook her head.

I sighed and turned to look at Terrence. His eyes brimmed with tears as his face fell.

"I-I'm sorry." I choked out, right before I rushed out of the room. It was all getting too much for me.

I felt something glomp onto me from behind as I stepped out, which turned out to be Glory Girl.

"Hey, you were awesome today." She said with a gentle smile. "Don't get too down over that last one, OK? You can't save everybody."

"I know, it's just…" I sighed. "Thanks."

The rest of our party trickled out of the room.

"Sorry to have to put you through that," Dr. Feldman said. "But it's something we needed to know. Your healing ability is one of the most versatile ones we've seen. We still don't have all our test results back, but I don't see any problem with clearing you to start working with the local hospitals."

Karen smiled at me. "You really did do great today. I think Miss Militia should be here by now, if you want to start heading back towards the entrance."

I smiled at that. I was looking forward to meeting Miss Militia, even if she was only here to try to get me to join the Wards. Calle had told me it was standard operating procedure for a member of the Protectorate to make the Wards pitch, and that task usually fell to Miss Militia since she was so well-liked by the public.

We started walking back towards the garage, and entered a meeting room near where we came in from. A rather large man wearing a gleaming silver and red costume was there to greet us.

"Assault? What are you doing here?" Karen asked, with a look of trepidation on her face.

"I'm here to greet the newbie of course!" Assault exclaimed with a wide smile.

Huh? Why wasn't Miss Militia here to talk to me? I wasn't so tactless as to voice that thought, but fortunately Karen did it for me.

"I was told Miss Militia was supposed to be here for this." She said.

"Ehhh, couldn't get away from the office. Apparently Armsmaster just dumped a mountain of paperwork on her from that Merchant bust last night."

"What about Battery? Velocity?" Karen pressed on.

"What about them? I'm here!" Assault simply said with a bright smile on his face. He looked at me expectantly.

"Hey… c'mon kids, I'm cool too, right?" Assault asked with a childish pout that looked out of place on his large frame.

Oops, I must have been frowning at him. "Um, of course… it's nice to meet you, Assault." I don't think anyone was particularly convinced by that, as I heard a few snorts from the peanut gallery.

Assault stared at me for a second before yelling out, "Oh, you have GOT to join the Wards! The boys would love to have you on the team."

Karen groaned loudly as she face-palmed. Was Assault being serious? This was his pitch? I could see why Miss Militia usually did this kind of stuff. Did I want to join the Wards? I did think about it a bit, and had talked with Dad and Calle a fair amount on the topic.

Calle was definitely not a fan of how the PRT runs the Wards program, and a fair amount of it had probably rubbed off on me. The amount of money you actually take home as a Ward was well below minimum wage if you didn't include the college trust fund. Even including the annual trust fund of $50,000, your earnings as a Ward was still lower than your average police officer. Parahumans legally working as bodyguards or security officers were easily paid two to five times that amount. Not that I thought making money was what being a Ward was about; obviously being a hero and inspiring others is a worthy cause. But when you became a Ward, the PRT _owned_ you. You become a cog in a relentless bureaucratic machine that at times seemed like it was more concerned with PR than fighting crime. I've seen the local Wards doing silly talk show segments on TV or at publicity appearances around town more often than I've seen news stories of them actually fighting crime. I wasn't sure I was comfortable with giving up my freedom to join the Wards. The PRT could choose your costume for you, limit how you use your powers, and profit off your image and likeness with merchandising sales. Under some circumstances, they could even relocate you to a different city. It seemed exploitative, and I didn't think I needed the benefits that being a Ward would provide. I was already on my way to Arcadia, and my power was useful enough that I could just pay Calle to handle any issues I could think of.

After a few seconds, I quietly responded, "Umm… no thank you."

Assault merely shrugged. "Ehh, I tried."

That was it? I didn't want to join the Wards, but I was still disappointed that he didn't try a bit harder. What about all the vaunted benefits of being a Ward? The danger independent heroes faced? The publicity and merchandising opportunities?

He chuckled a bit. "Look, I figured if you were willing to join the Wards, you wouldn't have brought your lawyer along. You should still swing by sometime and meet them sometime though. They're good kids. They're not here right now, because, well you know, school. Say, why aren't you kids in school?"

"It's a holiday today!" Glory Girl piped up.

"Umm, what she said." I added in agreement. He snorted and shook his head, while mumbling something about kids these days.

"Ahem, well I'm sure the offer to join the Wards will remain open if you change your mind." Karen said. "In the meantime, we were told you were willing to work with us as a PRT affiliate?"

I nodded. That simply meant I was willing to be on call to heal PRT and Protectorate members if they get injured while serving in the line of duty. Considering all the good they did for the city, it was the least I could do.

"Great. I'm pleased to offer a PRT-issued smart phone then. Please read the manual for setup instructions. Your phone comes equipped with an emergency beacon functionality, as well as one gigabyte per month of free high speed mobile internet. It also has tinkertech built in to let you connect to our network through Faraday cages and conventional cell phone jammers." She said, while handing me a small box. "Here's my card also. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or need any assistance I can provide."

"Ooh, Amy has one of those. I totally use it to text while I'm at Arcadia. Super useful." Glory Girl chimed in, causing Panacea to groan.

"Yes, I suppose you could use it to bypass the cell phone jammers at Arcadia, but I hope you choose to use it more responsibly, Nightingale." Karen said to me. "If there's nothing else, it has been a pleasure to meet you."

I shook her hand and said goodbye to her before she left the room.

"Well now that we're done with work for the day, are you free for a bit? We should totally hang out, get to know each other a little!" Glory Girl said cheerfully.

"Umm, well I came here with Mr. Calle…" I looked at him questioningly.

"I certainly don't mind if you take her. Just make sure you feed her and that she's back home before 10 PM." Calle said.

Glory Girl giggled as I rolled my eyes. "I'll try my best Mr. Calle, but she seems like a troublemaker." She said, while winking at me.

Did I want to hang out with her? It wouldn't hurt to make some friends I guess. So far the only people I considered to be friends were Insight and Calle, and I pay them to talk to me. I smiled at Glory Girl and accepted her invitation.


	5. Accelerando 2-3

**Accelerando – 2.3**

March 2nd, 2011

Glory Girl's car was a little two door red BMW convertible. It looked new and expensive. "I'll let the two of you fight it out for shotgun."

"That's OK. I'll just sit in the back." I said.

Panacea pulled her robe off as soon as we got to the car. She was wearing blue jeans and a simple t-shirt underneath. She grabbed a hoodie from the seat of the car and slipped it on. Without her costume on, Panacea, or Amy now, was indistinguishable from any other regular teenager. Glory Girl kept her costume on.

"Uhh, Glory Girl, where are we going?" I asked as Glory Girl started the car and began to maneuver it out of the garage.

"The Boardwalk, but call me Vicky. We can browse around a bit, and ooh, get some ice cream!" Vicky said.

"Is it really alright to go out there while we're in costume?" I asked. I felt a bit self-conscious going out in public wearing my costume, despite how awesome Parian's work was. At least Vicky would be wearing hers too.

"Sure it is," she replied, as the car suddenly accelerated sharply. I let out a small squeak. This girl drove like a lunatic! "I go out in costume all the time. Well, I get recognized with or without the costume, so it's just something you get used to."

Amy turned around and gave me a small apologetic smile. I sighed and accepted my fate. Vicky and Amy chatted a bit while she drove, and I mostly sat quietly in the back of her car.

The Boardwalk was one of the nicer parts of town, and usually my favorite place to go jogging in the mornings. Small independent (and expensive) coffee shops and restaurants dotted the boardwalk, along with various boutique shops that sold expensive clothing. Parian's storefront, The Dollhouse, was also on the Boardwalk, though it was rarely open to the public. Tourists still liked to visit the front of the store though and take pictures of the extravagant clothes on display. I liked jogging at the Boardwalk, but considering how expensive everything was there, it wasn't really my scene to hang out at. Well to be fair, I didn't have any friends, so it's not like I had a scene anywhere else.

It was still early enough in the day that the Boardwalk wasn't too crowded, but the three of us attracted plenty of attention from the people that were there when we walked in. I noticed a few people pulling cell phones out to take a few pictures, but thankfully nobody approached us.

"Now, first stop, Lola's Atelier!" Vicky announced, as she wrapped an arm around my shoulder.

A look of terror washed over Amy's face. "I need to stop by that bookstore!" She squeaked out, and before we could respond she was gone.

Vicky pouted at her sister's retreating figure, and I noticed that her grip on my arm tightened ever so slightly as she pulled me into the clothing store. Why did I feel like Amy had just betrayed me somehow?

"Have you been here before?" Vicky asked me as she pulled us inside.

I shook my head.

"It's one of the few actually affordable clothing boutiques on the Boardwalk. Some of the places around here are crazy expensive! Parian's shop is almost never open to the public you know, it's all private viewings." She sighed. "I still haven't been able to make it to one of her public open showings."

I paused for a second. "She invited me to visit her shop sometime soon. I can ask her to let you come along if you really wanted to go." Hopefully Parian wouldn't mind.

Vicky squealed as she engulfed me in a tight hug. "Oh my god, that would be so awesome!"

I felt a wave of euphoria and happiness wash over me as Vicky hugged me. What was that? Was that Glory Girl's aura? The pain in my ribs quickly snapped me out of my daze. Ughh, I think the structural integrity of my ribcage was just compromised. I heard a few camera shutters in the background. Oh god, I could see the PHO gossip threads already.

I gently tried to pry Vicky off of me. I could only hope that the final version of my costume offered better protection against crushing forces. We continued to browse the shop for a bit, with Vicky stopping now and then to grab something.

"So, you have any questions about the cape scene here in Brockton Bay? Did anyone explain the unwritten rules to you?" Vicky asked.

"Ah, yeah. I've been talking to Insight." I replied.

"Yeah Insight seems alright. I know he's given mom a few tips before." Vicky said. "Brockton Bay actually has a lot of rogues and heroes. Let's see, there's Insight, Parian, Arachne, Mistblade, Gli-"

"Arachne?" I asked.

"Yeah, controls spiders. Very _reclusive_ so I'm not surprised you haven't heard of her. She's not really involved in the cape scene, but from what I hear she uses her power to produce the super expensive silk that Parian uses." Vicky explained.

Hmm, I guess that's why Insight hasn't mentioned her to me. She did say she wouldn't share information about any cape trying to stay under the radar.

"Mom's pretty paranoid about PR, so we don't really hang out with the other independents in town that much, but it's still important to know the landscape." Vicky said.

"Ah, what about me?" I asked.

She chuckled. "You're a healer that's going to volunteer at the hospitals. Nobody's going to have a problem with that. You even dress like us, sorta!"

Hmm, I'm pretty sure the outfit was designed to borrow goodwill from New Wave, but I definitely didn't want to say that out loud.

"Anyways, Mom's kinda right though." Vicky continued. "Insight's alright, but you want be careful who you associate with, or it can be bad for your rep. Faultline's Crew seems harmless enough and they throw awesome parties, but they've got a pretty big list of crimes to their name. They're just really careful about not rocking any boats too hard. I don't buy Purity's whole redemption act either."

"Ah, really? Insight seemed to really vouch for her." I said, with a frown. Purity was one of the scariest capes in town based on pure firepower. On the East Coast, only Legend in New York had stronger blasting powers. Well, Hero too in the DC metro area if you count the weapons he made. I slept better at night knowing that Purity was a hero now.

"Please, Purity totally paid him for that PR campaign. Is Insight still claiming that he's innocent of the astroturfing that got him temp-banned a few months ago?"

"Umm, yeah I think so." I said. Apparently Insight had created a bunch of fake user accounts on PHO to talk up Purity when she announced she was leaving the Empire to become an independent hero. I think Insight was more upset that she got caught than anything else. The moderators on PHO were apparently more competent than she gave them credit for. From what Insight had told me, the Protectorate's official stance was that Purity was still a criminal that should be apprehended, but unofficially our local Protectorate were backing off of her for now. She was more beneficial to them right now on the streets fighting the ABB and the Merchants than sitting in a jail cell. Also she could vaporize almost any of our heroes in a single blast. That probably factored in as well.

"What about Overwatch? Have you heard anything about him?" I asked.

"Not really. Seen him post a few messages in the Brockton Bay section. Heard a few rumors. Why, did he contact you?"

I nodded.

Vicky turned towards me with a serious expression on her face. "Nightingale, let me give you some important advice."

"Umm, OK?"

"Don't trust strange men that want to talk to you on the internet." She said.

I groaned. "I know! I wasn't going to meet him or anything, I was just curious what his deal is."

She chuckled. "I don't know, but personally I'd stay away. He seems sketchy."

We continued to browse for a bit. Vicky had a fairly large stack of clothes she was carrying now. My wardrobe back at Winslow mostly consisted of loose jeans and baggy hoodies. I didn't want to go back to being the person I was at Winslow when I started school at Arcadia, someone who was always trying to hide herself. I wanted to be proud of who I am.

The prices at the store weren't as bad as I feared. They were a bit more expensive than what I usually paid for clothes, but I could actually afford a couple of the cheaper items with the last of my saved up money. I was going to be a hero. I save lives and fight crime. I'm obviously not scared of wearing fashionable clothing. If I keep telling myself that, hopefully I'll start to believe it. I ended up picking out a couple pairs of colorful leggings, partially because they were among the cheapest items I saw.

"C'mon!" Vicky said as she dragged me towards the changing room. "Here, go try these on!"

Vicky shoved a pair of clothing items into my arms. What the… that entire stack isn't for me, is it? "I… I think I'm OK with what I picked out."

She fixed a steely gaze at me. "I can literally bench-press a metric ton and fly at close to the speed of sound. Trust me when I say that you are not leaving this place without trying on some of these clothes."

I gulped and stepped into the changing room, pulling the screen closed behind me. I examined the items that Vicky had handed me: it was a halter top and a miniskirt shorter than anything I owned.

I yanked open the screen and tossed the pair of items at Vicky. "I'm not wearing these!" I hissed at her. "They're way too revealing!"

"Okay okay, sheesh. Here try this on then." She said, while handing me a dark colored dress.

I sighed and accepted it. It looked closer to something that I'd wear. I undid the belt and pulled the dress part of my costume off of me, but decided to leave the body stocking I wore underneath on. I stared at myself briefly in the mirror. I don't know how some of the heroines in town, mainly Battery and Laserdream, felt comfortable wearing just a bodysuit in public. Then again, they actually had the figure to pull it off. I sighed again.

"Wow, you have pretty hair."

I shrieked and turned around. Vicky's head was poking through the screen. I grabbed at the dress and tried to use it to hide my body.

"You know you're fully clothed, right?" She said. "You're literally not showing a single inch of skin from the neck down."

"What are you doing? Get out!" I hissed at her.

"Whoa, you're turning really red."

I threw a clothes hanger at her face.

"Alright, alright, I'm leaving!" Vicky said. "C'mon, hurry up though. We have a lot to get through."

I groaned as I tried to will my heart to stop pounding so hard. I understood why Amy had run off like that before, though I was still miffed that she used me as a sacrifice to make her escape. I changed into the dress that Vicky had handed me. It looked weird with the white bodysuit on underneath. Darn. I stepped out so Vicky could take a look.

"Why didn't you take the bodysuit off? Nevermind, let's see… hmm, I think we should go with brighter colors. It'll suit your skin tone better." She said, while shoving me back into the changing room with another outfit to try on.

This process repeated itself until I wanted to pull my hair out. Vicky must've made me try on twenty or so outfits before she was satisfied. We ultimately settled on a rose colored knee length dress with white polka dots, and a long teal tunic top that Vicky insisted would go great with the leggings I picked out. I didn't know much about fashion, so I was willing to take her word for it. The whole thing reminded me of when Emma used to drag me shopping back when we were in middle school. Emma was always good at getting me out of my shell. Vicky was… popular, pretty, and rich, just like Emma was when she was my friend. Unlike Emma, Vicky wasn't a heinous bitch, but would she turn on me too one day? I sighed as I tried to shove those unpleasant thoughts out of my head. That wasn't fair to her. Vicky had been nothing but nice to me so far.

I had to wait around afterwards while Vicky then tried on about a dozen outfits. She kept constantly asking me for my opinion. I wasn't too helpful. Pretty much anything Vicky tried on looked amazing on her. I had a feeling she was just happy to hear compliments though. Eventually she settled on a few items and we headed to the register.

"Can I give you some real advice?" Vicky asked, in a surprisingly serious tone. I nodded. "You have to find some balance in your life. Don't let healing consume you. Amy… after my sister triggered, it was like something changed inside her. She stopped enjoying a lot of the things she did before, and she stopped hanging out with a lot of her friends from middle school. She's always be stressed about healing, even when she wasn't at the hospital. Anyways, part of the reason I dragged you out here was I wanted to ask if you would spend some of your hospital time while Amy's there also. I think it'd be good for the two of you not to be there alone."

Wow, that took a serious turn. Vicky was a really caring sister. "Sure, that sounds good." I replied. "I'll do whatever I can to help."

I thought about what my thinker power had told me about Amy earlier in the day. If it was true, then Amy was in a pretty bad place. Was I arrogant enough to think I could actually help her when her own sister couldn't? I don't know. If I was really honest with myself, I probably wasn't in a great place mentally either. My powers had given me a new sense of purpose though, while Amy seems to have exhausted hers.

Vicky smiled at me. "Also, I think it'd be a good idea for us to team up and go on patrol sometime. I can show you around town, let you know where all the hotspots are and places to avoid."

"I'd like that. Thanks."

"Awesome. I used to do a lot of patrolling with Crystal, um, I mean Laserdream, but she's been totally ditching me ever since she started college this year." Vicky sighed. "She says she's been too busy with classes and enjoying the college life. Trust me, it's a lot more fun patrolling when you don't have to do it alone."

"Ah, um, do you do a lot of patrolling with the Wards?" I asked.

"Huh? Oh, well… no, not really." She said with an abashed look. I waited for her to continue. "They're technically not allowed to go on patrols with me anymore. Gallant invites me along sometimes anyways, but they'd get in trouble if the Director finds out."

"I think I get it. They're so concerned with their PR and image that they're afraid you'll outshine them, right?" I said. Typical government shortsightedness. Power level wise, I don't think any of the Wards could really match Glory Girl. It probably rankled the local PRT that arguably the three most popular teenaged capes in Brockton Bay, Glory Girl, Panacea, and Laserdream, were all independent. That was no surprise though. They were all unmasked, had strong powers, and especially in the case of Glory Girl and Laserdream, incredibly beautiful.

Vicky paused for a second. "Umm, I don't think that's it. The last time I patrolled with the Wards before the banhammer, there was… a bit of property damage."

I stared at her. She actually blushed.

"It totally wasn't my fault! Those criminals shouldn't have tried to flee. It was their fault that the store got wrecked. But umm, yeah, the owners of the store ended up suing the PRT over it. Couldn't sue the criminals, they were indigent, and capes are protected by the Parahuman Samaritan Act, so the PRT ended up footing the bill for it." Vicky grinned sheepishly at me. "But hey, better them than me."

I chuckled a bit at that. Sure a bit of property damage was unfortunate, but fighting crime wasn't easy. We paid for our clothes and went outside to meet up with Amy, who happened to be sitting on a bench near our shop and was reading a book with her hoodie up. It was amazing that the simple hoodie she had on was enough for her to not attract attention from the denizens on the Boardwalk.

"Hey Ames, did you get anything good?" Vicky said to her sister in greeting.

Amy smiled at us and held up what she was reading.

I felt a pang of pain when I saw what she was reading. _Sense and Sensibility_. Mom was always buying me books to read before she passed, but only stuff she deemed worthy for the daughter of an English professor. On my 12th birthday, the last one we celebrated together, she bought me the complete collection of Jane Austen novels. We were supposed to read through all of them together, in chronological order. Mom died halfway through _Mansfield Park_.

Vicky pulled Amy up from the bench and wrapped her arms around our shoulders. "Ice cream time!" She exclaimed. "My treat today, girls."

I smiled as I tried to push the painful memories away. Being around kids my own age, just hanging out… it was something that I had sorely missed. As we started walking, I felt the familiar blossoming within me that signified a new power was available.


	6. Accelerando 2-4

**Accelerando – 2.4**

March 4th 2011

"Say Taylor… do you want a car?" Dad asked me.

I stared at him slack-jawed. Did he just offer to buy me a car? I slowly put my forkful of eggs back onto my plate. "What?"

Things had still been a bit awkward since our big fight the other day. Neither of us had talked about it since, and we were going with the time-honored strategy of pretending it had never happened. Dad offering to buy me a car out of the blue was pretty surprising.

"Well you're turning sixteen soon. I'd thought you'd want your own car." He said. "I'd feel better knowing you weren't spending so much time waiting at bus stops alone."

I thought for a second. Did I want a car? I mean, I'm a teenager, I think I'm supposed to say yes. I don't have a social life though, so I guess I never really wanted one. I also didn't think it would be a real possibility considering our modest lifestyle. "I guess so? How much money are we getting anyways?"

"Well, the total amount is about five hundred thousand dollars." He said, causing me to gasp. "But after our lawyer's contingency fee, it'll be closer to three hundred thousand dollars. Still, that's more than enough to finish off your college fund and to get you some things before you start school at Arcadia."

Three hundred thousand dollars! That was definitely more than I was expecting. Dad never said anything, but I had suspected things had been tough for us financially ever since Mom passed way. Mom was a tenured English professor at Brockton Bay University, and she probably made more money than him. "Oh Dad. You should spend it on yourself, or put it towards your retirement fund or something. You don't need to worry about me."

Dad smiled a bit sadly at me. "It's my job, kiddo. Besides you deserve everything I can give you. You're a good kid."

I felt tears brim my eyes at that. It was pathetic, to get so emotional from just having a real conversation with my dad, but it felt like it had been so long since we were able to really talk. "In that case," I said with a grin, "I'll take a convertible. Something with heated seats." It was pretty nice riding in Glory Girl's car, even if she drove like a lunatic.

Dad snorted. "Alright then. We'll talk about getting you a car more when it gets closer to your birthday. In the meantime, I think we should get cell phones."

I gaped at him. I was now starting to suspect he was under some kind of master power. "A-are you sure? You want us to get cell phones?"

He sighed. "No. I don't _want_ to get them, but I think we should. You're going to be off volunteering at hospitals and starting school soon, and Arcadia is a longer commute than Winslow was. It's dangerous for you to be out there alone without a way for us to contact each other."

I already had two cell phones for my cape persona, but getting one for Taylor Hebert made sense too. It was going to be a hassle juggling all three though. "Sure Dad, why don't we go shopping together this weekend? Maybe we could grab a burger at Fugly Bob's or something?"

Dad smiled happily at my suggestion. "Sure Taylor, that sounds wonderful."

Dad left for work soon after, leaving me free to start my morning run. Once I start school at Arcadia, I'd have to start waking up much earlier if I wanted to keep running in the morning. I was not looking forward to that.

I went to my room to change into workout clothes, but first it was time to practice with my newest power. I spent the past day at the library looking up videos, interviews, and pictures specifically in preparation for this. I called upon the power, and a gleaming, six foot tall illusion of Armsmaster sprung into existence in my bedroom. I already had a minor illusion power, but this new one was much better. The illusion was near perfect as far as I could tell, and would even generate realistic sounds and smells! I could think of so many uses for this power. The hours spent memorizing the finer details of the local heroes and villains in the library were well worth it.

"Halt, criminal scum!" I had the illusion shout. Hmm, sounds pretty accurate too. "You face the might of Legsmaster!"

This was a fun power. What else could I make it do?

"Now you face the power of Dancemaster!" The illusion shouted, before busting out into a rather awkward attempt at twerking. I giggled uncontrollably at how incredibly ridiculous illusionary Armsmaster looked. I could probably make a lot of money just selling videos of this. Not that I would want to humiliate him like that. Armsmaster is a hero after all.

I made an illusion of Emma next, just so I could slap it. My hand disappointingly went straight through the image without any resistance. I changed the illusion next so that it set Emma on fire. Amazingly, I could feel it give off heat, but not enough to cause even a mild burn.

I pulled out my PRT smartphone to check my schedule before I left for my run. Just a few months ago, I didn't have a life at all outside of school. Now I was so busy I needed my smartphone's calendar app just to keep track of everything. I had a meeting with Calle later in the day, Parian had asked me to come to her shop the following week, and Vicky had asked me to keep one of the following weekends free so she could introduce me to the rest of New Wave. I still had my advance self-defense classes, I was teaching myself how to play the lute, and now I was adding volunteer hours at the local hospitals on top of everything.

I resisted the urge to check PHO while I had my phone out. The PRT had put out a small press release to announce my debut, and there were already some pictures of me up on PHO already from my trip to the Boardwalk with Glory Girl and Panacea. I was steadfastly ignoring the comments about the pictures of Glory Girl hugging me. With that bit of power testing out of the way, I was ready to start my day.

* * *

"Meet your first patient, Nightingale." Calle said, as he handed me a file.

I opened the folder and gasped. "Is that…"

"Yep, the famous actor Timothy Jane. He was just diagnosed with testicular cancer last month. It's still in the localized stage, so he has a 99% survival rate with conventional medical treatment. Unfortunately for him, that involves chemotherapy, surgery, and a permanent loss of fertility, so he's going to pay you $150,000 to skip all that."

I skimmed through the file. I wasn't exactly a fan of Timothy Jane, but it wasn't everyday that you met a movie star. His last movie was about him trying to be a father while homeless. It was one of those cheesy family movies that I found cringe inducing, but Dad actually teared up during it, which was embarrassing.

"I don't think I need to reiterate how important discretion is here, right?" Calle asked, right before we headed into the meeting room where Jane was waiting for us. "That's part of what he's paying for too."

"No, I can be professional. Don't worry." I said. I wonder if it would be unprofessional to ask Timothy Jane for an autograph. Dad would get a kick out of it at least.

Just a few minutes work, and I'd make more money than most families in Brockton Bay did in a whole year. The whole reason I sought Quinn Calle out in the first place was to help Dad out with money and the hospital bills. With the lawsuit and settlement finally over with, that wasn't really a short term concern anymore.

I didn't care about money too much, but I wasn't naïve enough to think that it didn't matter. Being almost completely alone in the last few months had given me time to think. Nobody gave a shit about you in this town unless you had money or power. What happened at Winslow was proof enough of that. The trio was allowed to get away with torturing me and making my life miserable for over a year without any repercussions. When I became a big enough problem for them, they just threw money at us to go away. There wasn't going to be any punishment for Sophia or Emma or Madison. There was no justice for me. Just a stack of money to shut up and stop causing problems for them.

Now, I had both money and power. I wasn't interested in buying things for myself, but I could use the money to really help my city. Just healing people wasn't enough. For every person I healed, there were countless people that I couldn't save. With my power and enough money, I could really make a difference in my city.

The supervillains in Brockton Bay were a problem, but they were just as much a symptom of the larger decay of the city. The gangs were able to recruit new members so easily by preying on the desperation and helplessness of the general public. With the loss of much of Brockton Bay's shipping industry, the higher ups in the PRT and Protectorate didn't think my city was worth a larger Protectorate or PRT presence. Even if Legend or Hero flew in for one afternoon and took out a gang, another one would just spring up after they left. While I certainly didn't have anything against our local heroes, it was frustrating to see little to no progress being made against the gangs year after year. Besides, for all the good and the bad that parahumans did, they weren't exactly known for job creation.

It wasn't like there weren't plenty of wealthy people in Brockton Bay. It just seemed like they were content to sit in their ivory towers while the rest of us toiled away. One just had to look at a map of Brockton Bay to see the proof of that. The bankers and lawyers lived in the fancy high rises downtown or in the lush mansions by Captain Hill, where the Wards and Protectorate often made patrols and crime was rare. The dock workers and blue collar workers lived in the North side of town where Merchants roamed and police response times were in the double digits. The rich kids all went to Arcadia or one of the private schools, while Winslow was a rundown hellhole where the walls were covered in gang graffiti. So yeah, I was going to make a few bucks off some rich people who probably wouldn't even miss it. I was confident I was going to spend it better than them at least.

With the money I was going to make with Calle, I could make a real difference. I could invest in small businesses in Brockton Bay that were struggling. I could give to charities that help the needy and the poor. I could even help Dad out by hiring the dock workers directly to… well I don't know what they do exactly, but I had Calle and Insight to help me figure things out.

Oops, Calle was trying to get my attention now. I must have spaced out turning my internal monologue.

"You ready, Miss Nightingale?" He asked.

I nodded sheepishly and followed him into the meeting room where he introduced me to Timothy Jane. He was wearing a baseball cap and sunglasses indoors. I guess it wasn't just capes that needed disguises. I was shocked at how… normal he looked. He was just another human being. I probably wouldn't have recognized him if I saw him on the street.

The actual healing part was over with quickly. We exchanged a quiet greeting, and I healed him with my power. He then offered me an autograph, which I felt like it would be rude to turn down. I think I'll give it to Dad as a gift. All together, we were done in less than five minutes, and Jane was off to meet his personal doctors to confirm that it worked.

"That… was underwhelming." I said to Calle. "It was over with so quickly."

Calle laughed softly. "Yep, you should consider yourself lucky. Very few people can earn so much while working for such small amounts of time."

It certainly didn't seem fair, but I wasn't complaining.

"I assume this is your first real job?" Calle asked me, to which I nodded in reply. "I should have more clients for you next week, but for now, it's time to celebrate your entry into the work force. C'mon, I made reservations at the best steakhouse in town. My treat."

"Oh? How about you let me treat you. I just came into some money, after all." I said.

"Actually, you're still broke." Calle said with a grin. "What you earned today after subtracting my share and the deposit for your costume that I fronted, still doesn't quite cover your outstanding balance with Parian."

I stared at Calle in shock. "My costume costs more than a hundred thousand dollars?"

"Hey, we agreed to get you something top of the line, with no expense spared." Calle said with a chuckle. "Don't worry, you'll still be stupidly rich within a few weeks. Just let me pay for you today, alright?"

I sighed and nodded dumbly along. I wonder how Dad will respond if I tell him I spent six figures on an outfit.

* * *

March 9th, 2011

 _Insight: Nightingale, I need to call in a favor. You're at Brockton Bay General Hospital tonight, right?_

I frowned as I read the message. How did Insight know I was at the hospital? I typed out a quick reply in the affirmative.

 _Insight: Don't worry about how I know you're there. I need you to heal someone there for me. Room 320, B. Laborn. Thank you._

It was going to mess with the queue for tonight, but I did owe Insight a certain number of heals. Hopefully nobody minds the slight detour I'll have to take.

After some initial confusion, the hospital had integrated me into their queue fairly quickly, and we already had a system in place. I could fully heal only a fraction of the total amount of patients that Panacea did in any given night due to the limitations in my power, and the fact that I had two different major healing abilities (which I named 'Cure Wounds' and 'Cure Diseases') each with their own number of uses complicated things further. They mostly used me to heal the brain diseases and injury cases that Panacea couldn't heal, and occasionally for emergency traumas.

When I needed to rest, the hospital administrators would just plop me into either the ER or one of the children's wards so I could use my healing song. It wasn't nearly as effective as my other healing abilities or what Panacea could do, but most people who listened to my songs at least felt slightly better afterwards. Someone had already uploaded a video of me singing to sick children online, and my PR rating was through the roof.

Apparently the announcement of my existence and the knowledge that I could heal brain conditions had already caused an uptick of medical tourism to Brockton Bay, so the queues were longer than ever now. I don't think Panacea appreciated the last part, but I'm sure the local government is thrilled.

I stopped outside the room Insight directed me to and took a look at the chart for a Brian Laborn. My curiosity was definitely piqued. Who was this person? One of Insight's friends? Her boyfriend? Or maybe Insight was actually a he, and this was him! Flipping through his charts, I saw that he had second and third degree burns over large parts of his body. Ouch, that looked incredibly painful.

I walked into the room and spotted who I assumed was Brian lying unconscious on the hospital bed. Large parts of his body were covered in bandages, and there was a morphine drip and various other monitors attached to his body. A familiar figure sat in a chair next to Brian.

"Aisha?" I blurted out.

She started at the sudden intrusion in their room, and her eyes immediately narrowed as she sized me up. "Wha- How do you know my name?" She asked.

 _Shit_. Think fast Taylor. "Umm, it was in the patient's file. Are you Aisha Laborn, the patient's sister?"

She nodded slowly. I couldn't tell if she bought my story or not. "Are you… are you here to help my brother?"

I nodded. "What happened here, Aisha? How did your brother get hurt?"

She hesitated for a few seconds. "Lung went on a rampage last night near where he lives. My bro was just caught in the crossfire. Just the wrong place, wrong time."

I frowned at that explanation. The news and PHO had both reported that there was a gang violence involving Lung last night, but the news had said that no civilians were injured. Just looking at Brian made it clear that he couldn't have been in either the Empire or the ABB though, and even with the burns, his face looked too healthy to be a Merchant. Most likely his story simply fell through the cracks.

I pulled on my Cure Wounds ability and started pouring healing energy into Brian. A green glow enveloped him as my power started taking effect. Brian's breathing hitched a little, and he sighed a bit as my healing went to work. It was working, but when the glow faded I could tell that he was still pretty injured. I reused my power again until I was satisfied that his burns were healed.

"Is he going to be OK?" Aisha asked nervously.

I smiled at her. "I think he'll be fine. Go get the on-call Doctor to check on his wounds after I leave." I turned towards the door and started to leave.

"Hey!" Aisha called out to me. I turned to see she was smiling cheekily now. "Thanks for this. That's two I owe you now."

I groaned. "Just… don't tell anybody about the other night, OK?"

"Sure sure. Your new clothes look way better than what you were wearing the other day, bee tee dubs. You want to stick around until my bro wakes up? I'm sure he'd like to thank you."

"Nah, that's alright." I responded. "Other patients to see, lives to save, you know."

I made my way back to the lobby where I had ditched the hospital administrator that was assigned to me. I think her name was Megan or something.

"Where were you?" Megan asked.

"Sorry, had to go take a phone call," I responded. "And um, I healed someone on the third floor."

She sighed deeply. "Please let me know next time you're going off queue."

I nodded along and followed Megan as she started leading me to patients. Panacea had already started her shift, and I'd probably see her during our breaks and after our shift ends. I knew Panacea worked almost every night, but I wasn't sure how much time I wanted to devote to healing yet. I was already itching to go out on patrol again, but I had promised Dad and myself that I'd wait at least until I had my full costume ready. Still, knowing how long the parahuman healing queues were at the hospitals was a lot of pressure.

The rest of my shift passed uneventfully, and after about two hours I was done for the night. I met up with Panacea, and I saw that Vicky was already waiting in costume to pick up her sister as we went outside.

"Hey girls, have fun tonight?" Vicky asked.

Amy simply grunted in response. She looked worn out and tired.

I shrugged. "Yeah, it was OK. I met someone who was burned by Lung last night. You guys hear anything about that?"

Amy frowned and shook her head. "No, the PRT usually sends out an alert when there are civilian casualties from cape fights."

"The gangs have been antsy lately." Vicky chimed in. "Seems like there's been more skirmishes than usual between their mooks."

That wasn't good. The last thing Brockton Bay needed was another gang war. Things between the ABB and the Empire 88 had been stable lately. Neither gang tried very hard to expand and take more territory. The Empire outnumbered the ABB by a fair bit, but Lung was capable of ending any fight by himself. The result was an uneasy détente between the two big powers. Nobody wanted to piss Lung off and ramp him up for a fight. The property damage he was capable of made Glory Girl look tame in comparison.

Vicky grinned at me. "Anyways, are we still on for Friday?"

"Sure, as long as you can get away from school then." I replied.

Amy sighed in frustration. "Really, Vicky? You're going to ditch school to go look at clothes?"

"Hey!" Vicky exclaimed. "It's Parian's shop! Her stuff is amazing, and we get to go see a private showing. Besides, I'm only missing the last class of the day. Totally not a big deal. "

Amy shot me a dirty look, as if to say that it was my fault that I was leading her sister to truancy. I could only smile sheepishly at her. I could admit I was partially at fault, but Vicky was a big girl. She could make her own decisions.

We exchanged goodbyes, and I watched Vicky pick up Amy from behind by hooking her arms underneath Amy's arms and fly off into the night. I started walking a block away towards where Dad was waiting for me. I could only hope that Parian would have my costume ready when I went to go see her.


	7. Accelerando 2-5

**Accelerando – 2.5**

March 11th, 2011

My costume was finally ready. Parian had graciously allowed Vicky to tag along, so I was just waiting for her to come pick me up a few blocks away from my house so we could head over together.

A white blur fell from the sky and landed directly in front of me. Vicky was here in all her glory. I clamped down hard on the brief surge of wonder and euphoria that I always felt whenever I first entered her aura range.

"I thought you were going to drive." I said.

"Pshh, do you know how expensive gas is right now?" Vicky said. "Anyways, this is much faster… also it'd be a lot harder to sneak out of school with my car."

Before I could respond, she scooped me up in a bridal carry. I squeaked at the indignity of it.

"Can't you carry me so-" I started to say, right before Vicky rocketed upwards at an uncomfortably fast pace. I stifled a scream at the sudden acceleration, and clutched onto her tightly.

Flying while being carried by a person roughly my own size was terrifying. Being placed in such a precarious position while I had no control was discomforting, to say the least. I tried to control my pounding heart as I rationalized that Vicky probably had enough experience with this that she wouldn't let me plummet to my death. After a few seconds I was able to look around a bit and enjoy the view from the air. Brockton Bay actually looked pretty spectacular from up high. The glittering ocean bay that we were heading towards looked postcard perfect, and the tall gleaming skyscrapers downtown were a pleasing sight as well. From up high, even the poorer neighborhoods in the northern side of town looked less run-down from up high. The only real eyesore was the rusting derelicts in the Boat Graveyard that I could see in the distance.

Vicky had a huge grin on her face as she looked at me. I simply glared at her and refused to dignify her antics with a response.

"How does it feel fly on Vicky Air?" She asked.

"It's pretty cool. Just don't drop me."

Vicky chuckled at that. "Please. I've done this tons of times, and I've only dropped a person once."

What. I hoped she was joking. "That's not funny."

"You'll be fine. And think of the entrance we'll make at the Boardwalk!"

I groaned. Just what I needed. I was beginning to think Vicky was doing this to me on purpose.

"Did you know that people are shipping us on PHO? Apparently there's a photo of the two of us in a tender embrace floating around." Vicky said, as she giggled. "Get this, our ship name is Glory Nights! Doesn't that sound like a cheesy porno?"

"Ugh, that's an awful name. It's just people on the internet being stupid. It'll die down soon enough." I replied confidently.

"Well, I may have also made some suggestive comments about you online." She added.

I couldn't stop myself from blushing at that. "Y-you idiot! Why would you do something like that?"

"Just for funsies. Relax, your virtue is safe for now. I have a boyfriend." Vicky said.

I sighed. I shouldn't let stuff like that bother me. They were just strangers on the internet, and as far as I knew, Dad didn't browse PHO, so I didn't have to worry about him reading rumors about me.

"C'mon," she whined. "Our social media mentions are through the roof right now. You should be happy."

"I don't care about that!" I responded.

"Well you should. Being an independent hero isn't easy you know. It's a real grind. You need the public's support if you want to do this long term. It's why New Wave does all those promotional community events. You should join us the next time we do one."

Maybe Vicky had a point, but I just wasn't interested in PR. It was one of the major hang-ups I had about joining the Wards. Besides, I was already getting plenty of positive PR by just being a healer. Still, I guess it wouldn't hurt to be seen out there in public with New Wave, giving back to the community. "I guess it couldn't hurt." I said. "Let me know next time you want me to come to one."

"Awesome!" Vicky replied. "I still need to introduce you to my cousins and the rest of New Wave."

"How's Amy doing?" I asked. My plan for befriending her wasn't really going too well. Even when we were at the hospital together, we were often in different wings or floors.

"She's doing OK. She's happy that there's another healer in town helping out at the hospitals." Vicky replied.

I was a bit skeptical of that. I don't think I've seen Amy happy ever. Then again, that's probably how people thought of me when I was still at Winslow.

We flew towards the Bay, and I even started to enjoy the feeling of the wind flowing past us. It was still scary, but once the initial shock wore off it was really thrilling. Even though I wasn't flying under my own power, it was as wonderful as I had always imagined it would be. I felt a stab of jealousy at Vicky. I didn't resent her or anything like that, but she really seemed to have it all. Stunning good looks, an incredibly strong power set, popularity, both her parents… it was kind of amazing that she was as nice as she was actually. I didn't know what happened with Emma that turned her against me, and so far my only working theory was that popularity and growing boobs had somehow turned her into a mega-bitch.

It was still early enough in the day that the Boardwalk wasn't too overcrowded when we landed, but there was a small crowd gathering in front of Parian's store. I remembered seeing some flyers about a small event she was hosting after our meeting. Besides just making clothes, Parian also made public appearances, usually entertaining kids with her animated dolls and stuffed animals. I wasn't sure if she did it for money or just for the positive PR, but the pictures of little kids riding her unicorns were a big hit on PHO.

I noted with dismay that a few of the denizens had their cell phones out and were snapping pictures of us as we landed in front of Parian's Dollhouse. They'll be circulating on PHO before we even left here.

We knocked on the front door, and after a few seconds Parian showed up to let us in. She was wearing a different colored dress from the last time I saw her, but her mask and blonde curls were still the same. I guess being a fashion designer would make her more inclined to change it up more often.

"Hi girls," Parian greeted us. "Welcome to my Dollhouse."

"Hey Parian," I replied. "Thanks for having us over. I didn't expect you to finish my costume so quickly."

Parian giggled a little in response. "You were lucky that I had all the materials on hand already. Plus, you'd be surprised how fast one can sew when you can telekinetically control needles and fabric."

Parian's Dollhouse was interesting. It wasn't really a store, as it was almost never open to the public. It was more like a hybrid between a workshop and a showroom. A large table dominated the center of the space, with different spools of fabrics and various tools resting on top. A number of mannequins lined the sides of the space, showcasing various outfits. Expensive looking dresses adorned some of them, and I noted with more interest that there were even a few mannequins dressed in cape costumes.

"Wow, this place is awesome, look at all these clothes!" Vicky exclaimed giddily.

Personally I didn't see what the big deal was. Sure they were pretty, but they were just clothes. I'd take a nice high powered taser over a shiny dress any day.

Vicky stopped in front of a mannequin near the center of Parian's space. A gold sleeveless dress hung from the mannequin.

"Lovely, isn't it?" Parian asked. "It's made from the silk of Golden Orb-Weaver spiders. The color is completely natural. It's truly one of a kind."

"It's amazing," Vicky murmured. "How much are you selling this for?"

Parian chuckled a bit at Vicky's question. "That one is sold already. It was custom made for a celebrity in California for some red carpet event. A lot of my customers are from out of state actually. This particular dress went for $30,000."

$30,000 for a dress? That was more than the annual salary of many of the Brockton Bay residents who lived on the north side of town. I wanted to ask her if the dress was bulletproof, but I kept my mouth shut.

Vicky gulped audibly at the number, before turning to me. "Hey sugar momma, you want to buy me a dress?"

I paused for a second. "No."

Vicky pouted at me adorably, but I wasn't swayed.

Parian moved towards a bundle of clothing on her table. "Anyways, I have your finished costume here, Nightingale."

I walked over and gingerly picked up the bundle.

"This is one of my finest works," Parian told me. "Like I said before, the undersuit is made of multiple layers of black widow spider-silk. It's extremely tough and durable. The dress is made primarily of Nomex and Kevlar, with an additional inner lining of black widow spider-silk. I've sewn in hidden armored inserts at various parts, which you should be familiar with by now. We're using a new kind of ballistic impact gel for the armored inserts. Much lighter than ceramic or steel plates, and it does a great job at dispersing kinetic energy. A fair bit more expensive of course, but well worth it in my opinion."

"Ooh, how fancy," Vicky said. "You non-brutes are so squishy."

"That sounds awesome," I said. "Is it bulletproof?"

"Well it should stop most small arms fire, but I'd really recommend you try not to get shot in the first place." Parian said, in a very matter of fact tone.

"Ehh, I've been shot a few times," Vicky said. "It tickles."

"Go on, try it on!" Parian said, pushing me towards a changing room at the rear end of her workshop.

The new costume looked similar to the prototype I was wearing, except the materials were noticeably different. The spider-silk body stocking felt much finer and luxurious than the spandex one I had been wearing. The dress itself was much coarser and rougher than the plain fabric one I had before. Sections of it, especially around the forearm and chest areas were also a lot stiffer. I poked at the armored inserts a bit. It was actually a little bit soft and squishy. Could this thing really stop a bullet? I was paying a ton of money for it, and I could only hope that Parian's work was as good as advertised. I changed out of my current outfit and quickly changed into the new costume. The new dress was noticeably heavier than my previous one. Despite the stiffened sections of the dress, it didn't appear that flexibility was compromised too much. I did a few quick stretches and bends, and didn't really notice any loss in my range of motion.

I took a deep breath and stepped outside the changing room.

"How does it feel?" Parian asked.

"Good, it doesn't even feel like I'm wearing armor." I replied.

"I know! That's the best part about my costumes."

"It does look really good," Vicky said. "Want me to hit you a few times to test out the armor?"

I didn't know how hard Vicky could punch, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was considerably harder than a gunshot. "No thanks."

"You can contact me if you need alterations or repairs to the outfit," Parian said. "Also, there are some important things you need to know about properly keeping the costume clean."

"Ah, that shouldn't be a problem," I replied. "I have prestidigitation!"

Parian stared at me for a second. "Presti-what now?"

Right, what I said just now probably sounded incredibly stupid. "Umm, one of my powers lets me clean objects instantly and safely."

Vicky snorted at that. "You have a laundry power?"

"Shut up, it's really useful." I said.

"Just saying… Myrddin gets ice beams and fireballs, and you get to do laundry quickly. You're not exactly pushing the cause forward for women everywhere."

Hmph. That does it. I'm going to use prestidigitation to paint a 'kick me' sign on her back as soon as she looks away.

Parian cleared her throat. "Well, it does sound pretty useful. Powers shouldn't all be about fighting. Still, I'll give you some instructions on how to properly launder it just in case you need it. Anyways, I'm hosting a show outside my storefront in a little bit. It's mostly for younger kids, but you guys are welcome to stick around and check it out!"

"Sure, why not." Vicky said. "I already ditched school, so I don't have much else going on now."

"I'll stick around too." I added.

Parian smiled at us. "Great, in that case help me carry some boxes."

We grabbed the boxes, which were really light, and headed outside with Parian. A small crowd was already starting to gather outside. Mostly families with small children, but I saw a couple of older kids and a few teenagers milling around as well. Vicky smiled easily and waved to the crowd as they began taking pictures of us. I'd been in the public eye for a little over the week now, and I was nowhere near as comfortable as Vicky was with crowds and photographers. I mostly just hovered behind Parian a little, though she didn't do a very good job of hiding me as she was about half a foot shorter than I was.

"Welcome everyone," Parian called out to the crowd. "Thank you all for coming today! We're joined today by two of Brockton Bay's heroines, Glory Girl and Nightingale!"

Vicky beamed at the crowd as she soaked up their adulation. I waved awkwardly and resisted the urge to run away. The crowd settled down a bit and Parian started her performance. From one of the boxes we carried out, fabric unspooled and took the shape of a pink unicorn. Huh, I always thought they were stuffed animals, but apparently they were hollow. The kids in the crowd coo'd with delight as an assortment of inflatable animals came to life.

Vicky and I were probably a bit too old to really enjoy the show, but it was cool watching Parian flex her power. She was able to effortlessly control several of the dolls at once, and she was really good with the kids. The little buggers were soon screaming with joy as they played with the dolls. The unicorn was a big hit among the little girls, and they were all clamoring for a turn to ride it. I was tempted to ask Parian if I could ride her unicorn, but it seemed like it'd be wrong to take a turn from the little kids. One of my cell phones buzzed with the telltale sign of a new message but I ignored. After a few seconds, it buzzed again and again. What could that possibly be? I was just about to pull me phone out to check when a hush suddenly fell over the crowd.

"Very amusing." A deep, rumbling voice called out slowly from the audience. A murmur shot through the crowd as people desperately moved out of the way to reveal a large man wearing a metal mask shaped like a Chinese dragonhead. "For your next trick, I would like you to summon the bug bitch."

Shit. Lung was here.

* * *

 **Taylor's Current Powers/Spells**

 **Cantrips (unlimited castings)**

· **Mage Hand** – creates a spectral hand that allows Taylor to manipulate objects within 30 feet of her, or allow her to pick up an item up to 10 pounds in weight.

· **Minor Illusion** – allows Taylor to create an illusory sound or image. Sounds can be any voice or sound that Taylor can imagine, and the volume can range from a whisper to a scream. Visual illusions must be no larger than a 5 foot cube, and can't create smell, light, sound, or other sensory effects.

· **Prestidigitation** – a collection of minor magical tricks, such as creating a minor sensory affect, cleaning or soiling a small object, lighting or snuffing out a small fire, creating various small illusions, and other small effects.

 **Level 1 Spells**

· **Thunderwave** – generates a thunderous blast of force up to fifteen feet out in front of Taylor, hurting and knocking back everything in her path. Generates a thunderous boom audible up to 300 feet away.

· **Sleep** – causes people or creatures in an area up to 120 feet away from Taylor to fall asleep. Can be resisted by those of strong fortitude and constitution.

· **Cure Wounds** – a person or creature that Taylor touches rapidly regenerates towards a healthy state.

 **Level 2 Spells**

· **Invisibility** – Taylor or a person that Taylor touches becomes invisible for up to an hour. The effect ends when an offensive action is taken.

· **Lesser Restoration** – a person that Taylor touches is cured of one disease or ailment.

· **Detect Thoughts** – lets Taylor read the surface thoughts of people around her? Or is it just a form of super-effective cold reading? Taylor isn't sure.

 **Level 3 Spells**

· **Major Image** – allows Taylor to create an incredibly realistic illusion no larger than a 20 foot cube. These illusions can move and seem completely real, and even sounds and smells real. These illusions can even generate heat or chill, but not enough to cause bodily harm. Physical interaction with the illusion reveals it to be just an illusion though.

 **Other Abilities**

· **Song of Rest** – Taylor can imbue her voice with her power, and people who are resting while listening to her sing regain health more quickly than normal.


	8. Accelerando 2-6

**Accelerando – 2.6**

March 11th, 2011

People were screaming. There was a mad dash as most of the crowd struggled to get away from Lung. Some idiots were actually staying behind and had their cell phones out, either to take pictures or record videos. Hopefully some of them had enough sense to at least call the PRT.

Lung was a pretty heavy hitter. I didn't know exactly how strong he was, but he has been able to fend off the E88 and the Protectorate for years now, despite the ABB being heavily outnumbered by their enemies. According to what I had read online, Lung grew stronger the longer he fights, and that he grows faster in response to bigger threats, with seemingly no upper limit. There were rumors that if he kept fighting, he would eventually grow wings and the ability to fly, and transform into an actual dragon. That seemed ridiculous though, so I didn't put much stock on the last part. He was however a confirmed pyrokinetic, and could create flames hot enough to melt steel.

Lung slowly advanced towards us. Vicky's lips were pursed in anger, and her normally pretty features were formed into a fierce scowl. I felt an unnatural wave of terror and anger wash over me, and I noticed that Lung was actually growing as he walked towards us. He was already well over six feet tall and his skin was taking a silvery sheen. "Vicky!" I hissed at her. "Control your aura. You're ramping him up."

Lung was crazy. This was the Boardwalk! The Protectorate wasn't going to let him go on a rampage here. This wasn't the Docks neighborhood where only poor people lived. The Boardwalk was vital to the city economically. I took a quick look around. The enforcers that usually mill about on the Boardwalk were nowhere to be seen. Figured they'd turn tail and run as soon as an actual threat showed up. I called on my thinker power and tried to read Lung. _Apathetic towards us. Expected Parian to be here alone. Doesn't think we can put up a decent fight, except for maybe Glory Girl. Doesn't actually care that much about Parian, but needs to send a message since they haven't been able to track Arachne down._

"We need to run," I whispered to Glory Girl and Parian. "Fighting him here is a bad idea."

Lung chuckled. "If you attempt to flee, I will be most upset, and I may need to find other targets to take my anger on." Crap, he heard that? He had super senses on top of everything else?

I felt fury course through me at Lung's statement. He was going to attack the civilians here if we ran? Or did he just mean property damage? I wasn't willing to take the chance that he was bluffing, but staying to fight seemed like suicide.

Parian stepped forward a little so that the three of us were near each other and turned to face Lung. Her body was shaking a little, but her voice was firm. "Arachne isn't here. I don't know what your problem with her is, but I want no part of it. Everyone knows I'm neutral."

"Are you not her partner?" Lung asked. "She has wronged me."

"W-What?" Parian sputtered. "No! I've bought supplies from her before, but that's it. I don't know who she is!"

I chose that moment to step forward. "You don't have to do this," I argued. "None of us know where or who she is. There's nothing for you to gain here. The Protectorate are probably already on their way. We don't have to fight." Vicky scoffed at the last part, but I ignored her.

Lung paused and stared at me for a second, before turning his head back towards Parian.

"I am not an unreasonable man. I will collect what I am owed," Lung rumbled out. "If not from her, then from you."

Parian paused for a beat. "How much does she owe you."

"Half a million dollars should suffice."

Parian scoffed at the number. "I don't have that kind of money!"

I did have that much money, but did I actually want to pay him off? Everything about it screamed wrong to me. He was a bully, and I certainly didn't get into the healing business so that I could directly fund one of the worst gangs in town.

How could I stop him though? I could try putting him to sleep, but I really didn't think that my sleep power would be effective against someone with such a high brute rating.

Lung's eyes shifted towards Parian's store. His intent was clear. He was going to burn the place down to punish Arachne. A part of me thought that we should just let him, if that was all he was after. It was just a store, and it could always be rebuilt. Still, I didn't know if Glory Girl and Parian would be willing to stand aside and let him do this. Hell, I didn't even know if I was willing to.

Time to take stock of what I had. A can of pepper spray. A collapsible baton. A small switchblade. A small stun gun. Some zip ties. None of those seemed particularly helpful right now. I was slightly regretting not buying that high powered crossbow now. Parian had never fought before as far as I knew, and her inflatable dolls didn't look like they could put up much of a fight. No, our best shot was for Glory Girl to take him down before he could get too amped up, but we needed a plan. We outnumbered Lung, and he didn't come here prepared to fight all three of us.

"Vicky," I whispered to her. "We nee-"

Before I could finish my sentence, Glory Girl rocketed towards Lung in a white blur. Lung's reaction time was faster than I expected considering his size, and he just managed to sidestep out of the way while simultaneously swinging an arm out at her. I heard the sharp sound of a loud crack as his arm impacted with Vicky. The collision snapped his arm back unnaturally, clearly breaking his arm bones in several places, but he managed to deflect Vicky's flight path into an angle that sent her slamming through several thankfully deserted vendor stalls that lined the side of the Boardwalk. Oh god. Lung was going to absolutely wreck the Boardwalk. I could only hope that Vicky's invulnerability would protect her from the rough tumble.

Lung snarled in anger and turned towards Parian and me. His broken arm dangled limply at his side, but he raised his other arm and sent a gout of flame at us. Before I could react, Parian's unicorns leapt forward and unfolded into flat pieces of cloth that intercepted the flame. Amazingly, the flimsy looking piece of fabric was able to hold the flame back without instantly burning into a crisp. Perhaps I'd underestimated Parian.

Taking advantage of the brief respite, I hurriedly pulled out my PRT phone and activated the emergency beacon on it. There was no way that the PRT didn't already know Lung was here, but it couldn't hurt.

When the flames died down, I noticed that Lung had grown another half foot or so. Furthermore, his once broken arm now looked perfectly fine again. I groaned at the sight. His regeneration speed must be insane, and completely unfair to fight against. He flexed his newly healed arm a bit, and I could hear the joints pop even from the distance we were standing at.

He took another step towards us, but stopped as a large piece of what looked like a vendor's stall was flung at him from the side. He easily smashed through the wooden barrage, but a Vicky-shaped projectile slammed into him right after. The pair of them tumbled down the boardwalk for fifty feet or so, leaving large cracks and dents along the wooden Boardwalk floor in their wake.

"Shit! What should we do?" Parian asked me in a panicked tone.

A question I didn't have a good answer to. I pulled out my cell phone. "There's no way the PRT doesn't know about this already. We just have to hold out a little bit."

Parian nodded grimly and started inflating another doll from one of the boxes near us. Unlike the friendly looking and relatively small dolls that she had used to entertain the kids, this one was starting to take on the appearance of a large gorilla.

I didn't have the contact info for anybody else in New Wave, so I sent a quick text message to Panacea asking her to send the rest of her superpowered family out here. I frowned as I saw the messages I missed a few minutes ago.

 _Insight: Lung heading twd Boardwalk! R u still over there?_

 _Insight: I'll try to round up some backup. Most of Protectorate out of town._

Great, just what we needed. Did Lung know the Protectorate wouldn't be around today? I could only hope that Panacea could get the message out to New Wave. I looked up just in time to see Glory Girl get flung into a nearby storefront of a coffee shop by Lung. I winced at the sound of glass and wood shattering as she flew through the store. She was invulnerable, so I could only hope that she would be unhurt. Freaking brutes. It seemed like they were incapable of fighting it out in a civilized fashion, and were intent on doing as much damage to the Boardwalk as possible.

Then Lung turned towards us. He was at least eight feet tall now, and his clothes were mostly shredded, revealing silvery skin that had started transforming into metallic scales. Time was running out. Glory Girl was already struggling with Lung, and he was only getting bigger.

With a bestial roar he covered half the distance between us in a powerful leap and started running towards us. I felt panic surge through me. He was fast! I don't think we could outrun him even if we wanted to. As he neared us, I let loose the energy I was gathering and sent a blast of thunderous force towards him. The concussive force washed over him without a noticeable effect, but the extraordinarily loud thunder made Lung scream in pain as he clasped his ears.

I felt a sadistic sense of satisfaction at his pain. Super hearing, meet point blank thunder. I didn't want to hurt anybody, and I almost felt a little guilty at the glee I felt. Lung was a bad person though, and capes like him were a big reason why Brockton Bay was so desolate now. I refused to feel bad for defending myself against him.

While Lung was momentarily distracted by his burst ear drums, Parian's Gorilla, now roughly eight foot tall, bounded past me and slammed into Lung with the force of a freight train. The impact knocked Lung flat onto his back. The giant ape raised its comically oversized fists and slammed it down on Lung so hard that I could feel the force of the blow reverberating through the floorboards of the Boardwalk.

The doll raised its fists and slammed them down once, twice, and then thrice. On the third blow, the wooden floorboards beneath them caved in and the two tumbled down together into the shallow ocean waters below. I stared at shock at the display of power Parian just showed. I had definitely underestimated her. How could an inflatable doll made of such thin fabric possibly be so strong?

"Holy shit, what I'd miss?" Glory Girl hovered over toward us. She looked unharmed, but really disheveled compared to her usual immaculate appearance. There were bits and pieces of glass and wood stuck in her hair, and her dress had a number of small rips on it.

"Damn, I lost control over the doll." Parian muttered as we stared at the new hole in the boardwalk in shock. "You think there's any chance he'll just leave?"

As if to answer her question, we heard a loud monstrous roar emanating from beneath us. I tumbled backwards as Lung leapt up through the opening. He looked pissed, and bigger than ever. He was at least ten foot tall now, and I could see metallic spikes jutting out of his spine. He barely looked human anymore.

"Shit, run!" I yelled and sprinted away from Lung, grabbing Parian's arm on my way. At the same time, I pulled on my illusion power and flooded the area behind us with a black, opaque thundercloud complete with the occasional rumble of thunder and flash of lightning. I didn't know if it would do anything. Lung had enhanced senses, so he may be able to see right through my illusions. Still, I hoped that it would cause him to hesitate for at least a few seconds. I had been nearly useless so far. Even Parian, who I had dismissed as the cute fashionista, had done significantly more damage to Lung than I could. Given how he looked now, I had the sinking feeling that he was beyond our capabilities to take down. He couldn't fly yet, so I was confident Glory Girl was safe enough at the moment.

"This way!" Parian squeaked out and pulled me towards her shop.

We tore through the entrance, and Parian immediately began animating some of the loose fabric that was inside. A bolt of fabric ripped a box down from a high shelf, and Parian pulled out what looked like the shell of another giant gorilla ape doll. Before she could inflate it, a good portion of the front of her workshop came tumbling down with a large crashing sound as Lung smashed through. I dove to the side as Lung let loose a stream of flame at us, and miraculously was able to avoid getting burnt to a crisp. I noticed out of the corner of my eye that Parian was able to shield herself as well with the fabric surrounding her. The ambient temperature inside the workshop rose drastically as several pieces of cloth and furniture within the store caught fire.

Before Lung could unleash another blast of flame, Glory Girl slammed into him from behind with a bone crunching force. The two of them tore straight past me and through Parian's work shop and out the back via a new Lung-sized hole in the wall.

Glory Girl tried to take off into the air again, but one of Lung's large clawed hands shot out and grabbed her around the ankle before she could get away. He swung her down and slammed her onto the ground with a sickening force that would've knocked any regular human out of commission. Glory Girl kicked out at Lung and tried to break his grip on her leg. I heard a sharp crack, and then Glory Girl let out a scream of pain. It looked like Lung had just broken her leg.

What the hell? Lung had broken through her invulnerability somehow. I had to help her. I pulled out my small switchblade and threw it at Lung's head. The small blade clanged harmlessly off his metallic scales, but it drew his attention towards me. As he turned towards me, I used my telekinetic hand to float a canister of pepper spray towards his face and unleashed it directly into his eyes.

Lung bellowed out in pain and rage, and flung Glory Girl directly at me. I tried to dive out of the way, but we collided in a heap of limbs that sent the two of us tumbling backwards into Parian's now burning workshop. The next thing I knew, someone was shaking me gently.

"Hey, are you OK?" Glory Girl asked.

"Ughh…" I moaned. Pain wracked my body, and each breathe I took in sent new waves of pain coursing through my torso. I was fairly confident that I had more than a few broken ribs. I pulled on my healing power and sighed in relief as breathing became pain-free again.

"Hey, could I get some of that as well?" Glory Girl asked. I took a good luck at her. She was hovering a few inches off the ground. Her dress was ripped in several places, and her white cape had been ripped off at some point during her tussle with Lung. One of her legs was bent unnaturally near the ankle and starting to swell. I reached out and poured healing energy into Glory Girl. The swelling around her ankle receded rapidly. Glory Girl sighed in relief as her leg reset itself. "Thanks, you should take this time to get away. I'll hold him off until the Protectorate gets here."

Glory Girl took off before I had a chance to respond, causing me to frown. Run away while others were still fighting? It was the smart thing to do. God, what would Dad think once he saw the news. Lung could kill me so easily. I was way out of my league here, but backing down and running away just felt unacceptable to me.

No. I steeled my resolve. I didn't know if it was stubbornness driving me, or if I was just sick of being beaten down by bullies, but I refused to back down. Hopefully Dad wouldn't kill me for doing something so stupid. I staggered to my feet, and felt something wonderful rush through me. I felt power within me like nothing I'd ever felt before. Hundreds of motes of power lit up within me. Vastly more new powers that I had never seen or felt before were available for me to pluck out. I would've loved to parse through all of them, but time was a factor here. Parian and Glory Girl needed my help. I chose my first new power, a blaster ability that I hoped would penetrate his defenses.

I staggered out through the hole in Parian's workshop, and took notice of the fight that was still ongoing about fifty feet from me. Parian was standing behind two of her dolls, a large Gorilla and a cute looking T-Rex, while they were engaged with Lung. At the same time, Glory Girl was swinging what looked like a street lamp at Lung. She looked reluctant to get too close to Lung after what happened earlier. It was hard to tell how big Lung was now, as he was slightly hunched over and his limbs looked grotesquely thick and muscular for the size of his body. Additionally, he looked like his face grown a reptilian-looking snout. He barely looked human anymore.

I raised my hand and unleashed twin beams of cackling purple energy at his lower extremities. The energy beams struck his legs, causing him to stagger and fall to his knees. It looked like it actually hurt him! I launched two more of my energy beams at him. Lung flung himself to the side and managed to avoid one of the beams, but the other clipped him on the arm. Lung let out a bestial roar and took a flying leap straight at me.

I jumped straight into the air and called upon the other new power I had chosen. Lung flew by harmlessly beneath me as I flew straight up and well over him. I almost laughed with giddiness. I was flying! I had dreamed of this moment ever since I was a little girl. Granted, in those daydreams I usually wasn't being attacked by a vicious dragon-looking monster. I didn't know why these new powers were available to me now, but they couldn't have come at a better time.

I took a quick glance around while I was momentarily safe in the air. The PRT had arrived a short while ago it appeared, and they were setting up barriers and a perimeter around where most of the fighting was taking place.

Lung flung a gout of flame at me, but at the distance I was at I was able to dive to the side to avoid it. Glory Girl took that opportunity to swoop in from behind and swung the street lamp she was holding like a giant baseball bat at Lung. The lamp bent back sharply at the force of the blow, and Lung was sent flying back towards the docks and into another store. At this point I was almost convinced that Glory Girl was actively trying to cause property damage. Seeing the two of them go at it up close shocked me with the sheer brutality of their actions. They were throwing around blows that would kill most ordinary people, hell even most capes, with ease. I don't care how good Parian's armor is, I definitely wouldn't survive a hit like the one Glory Girl had just unleashed on Lung.

Glory Girl dropped the now ruined street lamp and flew towards me. "You can fly! When did that happen?"

"Ten seconds ago. Where the hell is the Protectorate?" I asked.

Glory Girl shrugged. "The PRT are here, but they almost never engage capes without backup. It looks like the area is fully evacuated by now, so I think we should grab Parian and scram."

I paused for a moment to consider our options. I didn't want to run, but he simply regenerated too fast. Even with my new powers, I didn't think I could damage him faster than he was regenerating and growing. Before I could respond, Lung burst out of the rubble below and shot straight at us on top of a torrent of flame. We dived to opposite sides, and Lung's arm shot out and tried to grab me as he passed by. His large claw just barely missed my arm, but he managed to snag my cape. I felt a brief moment of terror as I felt him pull on me, but the cape detached and Lung started falling back towards the ground. I sighed in relief and made a mental note to thank Parian later for the detachable magnetic clasp.

I put some distance between us, and fired two more of my new energy beams at him. The purple beams struck him with a satisfying crackle, causing him to bellow in either rage or pain.

Lung raised his arm and flames started gathering around his hand as he prepared to fling more fire at me when he stopped abruptly. I barely was able to see him flinging himself to the side when the whole world turned white and I was suddenly blinded. I shot straight upwards in panic and gathered healing energy into my eyes.

I blinked rapidly, and after a few seconds, my vision returned to me and I tried to take stock in what happened. Lung was missing an arm and a good chunk of the shoulder it was attached to, and there was an impressively sized crater where he had been standing moments before. He launched an intense blast of flame from his remaining arm at a glowing figure that was almost too bright to look at directly. The cape dodged easily and let loose a helical blast of white light at Lung.

Purity was here. How did she manage to get here before anyone from the Protectorate did? I wondered briefly if she was the backup that Insight had mentioned. They probably had a decent relationship, especially since Purity had hired Insight to run PR for her.

Before I could resume attacking Lung, a bolt of lightning crackled out and hit the ground near where Lung was standing.

The Protectorate was finally here! Well… one of them at least. Dauntless had shown up, flying in from the Eastern bay. He looked every part like a Protectorate hero, with his gleaming Golden Grecian armor and his massive spear that was crackling with electricity. He wouldn't have looked out of place on the cover of a comic book. Armsmaster may have been our most famous hero, but a lot of Brocktonites viewed Dauntless the most favorably. Unlike a lot of the other heroes in town, Dauntless had always broadcasted the fact that he was born and raised in Brockton Bay in his interviews.

I could feel the tide finally turning. Lung was at a huge disadvantage here going against so many flying blasters. None of us had been able to put him down so far, but with the amount of power we had on our side now, I was confident we could finally take him down and bring an end to the ABB.

"Stand down Lung!" Dauntless yelled out at him. "You've done enough damage for one day. Back off!"

What? He was just going to let him go? Lung was here by himself. We finally had the chance to cripple the ABB! Glory Girl hovered uneasily next to me as we faced him down. Lung glared at the five of us. For a second, I was convinced that he was not going to back down, that his pride would not allow him to retreat here. The tension in the air was palpable. After a few seconds, Lung snorted and started walking away. He spit out some metal teeth and blood from his animalistic snout as he left.

"You're just going to let him go?" I asked Dauntless incredulously. This seemed… so wrong.

"It's not so easy taking that one down, and no offense, but I'm not about to try with only two minors, an ex-Nazi, and the Doll girl as my backup." Dauntless said. "There's been enough damage done to the Boardwalk for one day. Trust me, it would get a lot worse if we went all out against him here."

I could admit he had a point, but I was still miffed. I had heard Insight's whole spiel about 'Cops and Robbers' before, but this was ridiculous. Lung was a monster, and he deserved to be Birdcaged. I couldn't help but feel a little bit disappointed in Dauntless and our local Protectorate.

"Is it true that he eventually grows wings and can fly?" I asked.

"Yup, trust me when I say you don't want him to get to that point. As hard as he is to deal with while he's on the ground, it gets much worse when he gains flight." Dauntless replied. "Stick around for a bit. The PRT are going to want to ask some questions here."

With that he descended to meet the rapidly approaching PRT officers who were now rushing onto the scene now that Lung had left.

Purity hovered over to greet me. The radiant glow surrounding her had died down quite a bit, and I could look in her direction without too much pain. She didn't wear a mask, but her hair and eyes glowed white with such intensity that I wasn't able to take in any details.

"Nightingale," She greeted me, extending out a hand. "We haven't been introduced yet."

I could feel Glory Girl glaring daggers at her. I wasn't sure how I felt about Purity. On one hand, she used to run with the Empire and had done some pretty bad stuff. No murders or anything like that as far as I knew, but she had willingly joined the Nazis. Still, she was trying to redeem herself, and I suppose people deserved second chances. I couldn't deny that she was doing good these days as an independent hero. Insight had vouched for her at least, and I somewhat trusted her.

I shook her hand. "Thanks for the assist. How did you get here so quickly?"

"A friend directed me here. Plus, I'm probably one of the fastest fliers in Brockton Bay." She replied, causing Glory Girl to snort a bit. I knew Vicky considered herself the fastest flier in town.

We hovered around awkwardly for a few seconds as we stared at each other. "Umm…" I started. "I'm not very happy that we just let Lung go like that."

"I'm not surprised that happened," Glory Girl said. "The Protectorate are all about minimizing damage and not rocking the status quo too hard."

"I'm not happy about it either, but if we did manage to take him in the rest of the ABB would go nuts on this town. They still have enough capes left to do a ton of damage, even without Lung." Purity added.

I sighed heavily. Was I too naïve in thinking I could actually make a difference? Even the Protectorate and the other established heroes didn't seem too invested in changing things for the better. I don't think going out at night and busting up a few gang members could really accomplish anything.

I flew down and landed gently besides Parian, who was staring at the smoldering wreck that used to be her workshop.

"Hey, are you OK?" I asked her.

Parian sighed sadly. "Yeah…. It's just a shop… it's just…"

I patted her shoulder gently. I was going for comforting, but I felt awkward doing it. "I get it, it was important to you."

"I can rebuild it." She said suddenly, conviction re-entering her voice.

I smiled. Maybe this day wasn't a total disaster after all. At least nobody had died or even gotten seriously hurt as far as I could tell. Sure, there was a lot of damage done to a pretty important part of Brockton Bay, but it could be rebuilt. Hopefully everyone had insurance, and I was already making a mental note to see Quinn later about contributing to the rebuilding process. Maybe Dad could even get some of the dockworkers hired for the inevitable reconstruction. Lung: job creator extraordinaire.

"I'll help you."


	9. Interlude - 2x (Grue)

**Interlude - 2.x (Grue)**

The moon shimmered ominously over the cold spring night as Grue paced back and forth on the deserted rooftop. Other than the glow of a few streetlights below and the moon overhead, the area surrounding him was completely dark.

It would have been a quiet night were it not for Regent, who was lying down on the rooftop and humming the Mission Impossible theme song loudly.

"Would you cut that out?" Grue murmured at Regent.

"C'mon, a clandestine meeting on a deserted rooftop? You have to get into the spirit of these things." Regent drawled out.

Grue rubbed his arms in discomfort. He could still remember the horrendous pain of Lung's flames burning through his skin. His last thought before losing consciousness was that he was sure he was going to die. To his surprise, he had woken up almost completely unharmed in the hospital in his civilian guise. Apparently the new local healer Nightingale had stopped by and healed him. Aisha claimed it was because she was tight with her, but he suspected that Insight more likely arranged for him to be healed. He definitely owed her one, though he doubted that she'd be happy if she ever learned that she had healed a villain.

"This isn't a game." He snapped at Regent.

Just thinking about that night still gave Grue chills. He had come so close to dying. It was easy up until that point to pretend it was all just a game of cops and robbers, that he could do this without putting himself in too much danger. The ordeal had shaken him far more than he had been willing to admit to Aisha or the rest of his team. He briefly considered quitting the team and giving up on the super villain lifestyle, but Aisha still needed his help. This was the only way he could help her.

"Hey, take it easy boss. I know this is serious." Regent replied. "I'm just trying to lighten the mood. Ya know, ease my nerves."

Grue sighed heavily and pulled out his cell phone to check the time. "She's late."

A sudden rustling near the fire escape alerted the pair that they had company. Grue tensed as he turned to face the new arrival. Regent slowly picked himself off the ground and dusted himself off.

The cape they were waiting for stepped out from the shadows. She was wearing a thick, black bodysuit and a red trench coat with a hood that covered her curly brunette hair. A large pair of opaque goggles covered the upper half of her face.

Grue stepped forward to greet her. "Thanks for meeting with us Spitfire."

"You're late!" Regent called out from behind Grue, earning a glare from him.

Spitfire simply shrugged. "Had to make sure you guys came alone. Didn't want to get ambushed here."

Grue cleared his throat and tossed the lunchbox he had on him towards her. "First of all, take this. A small token of our appreciation."

Spitfire caught the lunchbox easily and cracked it open, whistling when she saw the contents. "How much is in here?"

"Two thousand dollars. If you decide to join us, it's how much we each get per month just for being on the team. Additionally, we all get an equal cut of every job we take." Grue explained.

"Hmm… I don't know. Seems dangerous, joining a team of villains." Spitfire said slowly.

"Trust me, it's much more dangerous trying to go it alone in this town." Grue replied. "With the Undersiders, you'll have teammates who'll watch your back. We take care of each other. I know we're villains, but we're not bad people. We're all in this because either the system has failed us or we didn't have any other options. But we have morals. We don't do any of the really wrong shit that the rest of the gangs do. No violence against civilians, no pushing drugs, no extortion."

Regent snorted. "In this town, we might as well be saints compared to the rest of the gangbangers. I mean the big gangs here are the Nazis, the methheads, and Lung's merry crew of psychos. All we've done are some robberies from fat cats who probably wouldn't even miss what we've taken."

Spitfire tilted her head and stared at the pair of Undersiders for a few seconds in quiet contemplation. "Isn't there another member on your team? Hellhound?"

"Yes, she goes by Bitch." Grue said. "She… couldn't make it tonight. But she's definitely on board with you joining. We've been looking to add some more offensive firepower to the team."

Spitfire hesitated a bit. "So what happened last week? There were rumors that Lung wasted you all in his rampage last week."

Regent snorted in response. "The rumors of our demise were greatly exaggerated. We are all alive and well."

Grue shifted a bit uncomfortably. "We stole some money from the ABB. Lung took issue as you can imagine. We're good about laying low and avoiding trouble, but the ABB found one of Bitch's dog shelters, and we were forced into a fight. We're all alive though, and there shouldn't be any more problems with them going forward."

"What about Bitch? Is she OK?" Spitfire asked.

"She was injured during the fight," Grue admitted. "Nothing life threatening, and she should be back on her feet in a short while. She lost a few of her dogs though, which pissed her off way more than her own injuries."

"Look, I'm not joining you guys if that means it's going to make me a target to Lung." Spitfire said with a shake of her head. "I'm not suicidal. I'm also not down to rob the ABB or the Empire. No offense, but that was really stupid."

Grue paused for a beat. "We should be off his radar now. We hit him, he hit us back. They've got bigger things to worry about now with the Empire encroaching on their territory, and the Protectorate breathing down their backs after Lung's stunt on the Boardwalk. We're definitely not going to poke any of the big gangs anymore. That was a onetime thing."

Spitfire still didn't look convinced. Grue sighed. "Look, obviously we're not going to force you to join us or anything like that. I meant what I said earlier though. It's not safe to be an independent, especially right now. Your best bet other than us is probably the Wards, or Faultline's crew if she's hiring. The main benefit with going with the Undersiders is that you'll be a full partner. We vote on every big decision, and we split all our takes equally. With the other groups, you'd be just a soldier following orders."

"Plus, wouldn't you rather be around a group of people your own age versus following orders from metal-Hitler or the hypodermic hobos?" Regent added.

"What do you mean 'especially right now'?" Spitfire asked Grue.

"The ABB and the E88 are all riled up right now. The independent capes in town have been hitting their holdings hard the last two months. Arachne has hit several of the ABB's properties recently. Circus busted one of the Empire's drug distribution warehouses last month and made off with a lot of cash, and Mistblade just took down Stormtiger this weekend. With the Protectorate out in force in response to Lung's recent rampage, the gangs will be looking hard to recruit more capes."

"I doubt I'm the ABB's type," Spitfire muttered. "How do you know all that stuff?"

"We have contacts and connections." Grue said confidently. "Part of the perks of working on an established team."

Regent snorted at Grue's explanation, earning another glare from the older teen. "He means we pay Insight for his daily cape updates. His intel's good though and not cheap. I don't think you'll find another gig as sweet as what we're offering, unless you want to join those lame ass Wards."

Spitfire stood quietly in contemplation for a few minutes before finally responding. "I don't mind robbing a few places that have plenty to spare or taking down somebody who deserves it, but I won't be part of anything really shitty. If you can live with that, then I'm in."

Grue smiled widely at Spitfire's declaration and walked forward to shake her hand. He reached up, unbuckled his helmet and took it off in one smooth practiced motion. "Glad to have you with us then. I'm Brian."

Spitfire stared in shock at the sudden unmasking. After a second, she followed suit and lowered her hood, shaking out her curly hair as she did so. She peeled her goggles off next, and shook Brian's hand. "I'm Emily."

* * *

 **AN:**

Thanks everyone for the follows/favorites/reviews! Taylor's roughly level 5-6 now in the story, and her rate of progression is going to slow down a fair bit now that's past the beginner stage. If you're curious as to what her spells are, you can find a list of the current official bard spell list if you search for "grimoire bard"


	10. Interlude - 2y (Quinn Calle)

**Interlude - 2.y (Quinn Calle)**

March 4th 2011

"What are you ordering?" Taylor, or Nightingale since she's in costume, asked me. She was staring at the menu intently with a small frown on her face. It was cute how she took everything so seriously and tried so hard to act professional.

We were at Tony Luger's, the best steakhouse in Brockton Bay, where I was treating her to lunch to celebrate her entry into the workforce. Her power was amazing. Cancer, cured instantly in a dazzling flash of light. Lucrative too. We just earned $150,000 in a single session. Even after my 33% cut and the taxes I had to withhold for her, she was going to be making ridiculous amounts of money for a fifteen year old teenager. I already had a lot of potential clients lined up for her.

"Definitely a steak. You can't go wrong with either the rib eye or the porterhouse here." I answered her.

She crinkled her nose a little as she considered her options. Cute kid. She was a bit weird though. She could be charming and charismatic one second, and completely awkward and unsure of herself the next second. Maybe some kind of bipolar disorder? Most capes had their eccentricities. She rarely shared details about her personal life with me, but I got the sense that she didn't have a very happy home life. Taylor was a good kid, and I couldn't help but worry about her sometimes.

I ordered the 22-ounce rib eye steak, medium-rare. If I ever get heart disease later in my life, at least I know a good healer now, even if she did charge an arm and a leg for it. I guess that was partly my fault. Go me. Taylor ordered a salad, forcing me to stifle a groan. What a waste. The poor girl was already rail thin. She could use a good steak or twenty. I ordered a few appetizers as well, and a few strips of the bacon appetizer especially for her. She'll thank me later.

"So…" Taylor began hesitantly. "How much does a ferry cost?"

Heh, her first day on the job and she was already planning enormous purchases. Kids really say the darndest things. "Like the ones that used to run here in Brockton Bay? They kept a fleet of three ferries, each one probably around five to ten million dollars to construct. Then you have to factor in maintenance and operating costs, hiring the necessary crew to run the ship and support staff on the ground, renovating the ferry building, the bureaucratic hurdles the government would put you through, commissioning new environmental impact studies, et cetera et cetera. You're looking at a 50 to 100 million dollar project."

Taylor blanched a bit after hearing my estimates. I felt a little bad, crushing the dreams of a naïve kid like that, but she pays me for honest advice. I could see why she cared about the ferry. Her dad, Daniel Hebert, was a spokesperson for the Dockworkers Association and he had frequently lobbied the city government with proposals to get the ferry up and running again. To many who lived in the Docks district of Brockton Bay, the ferry was a symbol of a better time. It harkened back to an era where Brockton Bay wasn't overrun by parahuman gangs and blue collar workers could easily make a living and provide for their families. His efforts were futile though. There was no way that the city council would approve such a large project in the current economic climate without significant outside funding.

"Hey," I said softly. "Things like that take a village. It's an impossible task for one person. If you're serious about making the city better through economic actions, you have to start sowing the seeds now. Making connections, developing your reputation, things like that. It takes time, and it won't be easy. I'll be there to help you though."

She smiled at me gratefully. It was almost enough to warm my cold, dead, lawyer's heart. "I made $150,000 today." Taylor said quietly.

"Not after my cut, you didn't." I replied easily. "And don't forget Uncle Sam's cut too."

"Ugh, you know what I mean." She said, with an exasperated roll of her eyes that was visible even with her mask on. "I feel bad sometimes… accepting so much money when there's people dying on the queue lists at the hospitals."

Uh oh. That was a dangerous line of thinking. "Hey, you're not doing anything wrong. Trust me, there's nothing glamorous about asceticism."

"I know that. It's... I just remind myself that it's a numbers problem." Taylor sighed. "Even if I spent every waking moment volunteering my healing ability, it wouldn't even put a microscopic dent on the number of preventable deaths that happen each year. I've been looking up stuff on the internet. Like, there's this charity that installs tinkertech water purifiers in Africa. Every $15,000 in donations they get lets them build a new one. You know that one out of every five deaths for children under the age of five in the world is due to the lack of clean water? They say that each one of those purifiers could save a thousand lives a year. I could buy ten of those with what we made today, and save more lives that way than just volunteering at the hospital."

I did know what she was talking about. "Yeah, those numbers are horrendously optimistic. The cost only covers the construction of the purifiers, and not the administrative, maintenance, or security costs. Additionally, each one never lasts that long as inevitably some local warlord would claim the purifier and monopolize its use." Taylor slumped a bit at hearing that. Ugh, she didn't need to hear that. Why did I share that? Sometimes I just couldn't help myself.

"I guess it's not so easy huh, to save a life?" Taylor asked, looking a little dejected now.

"Hey, it is for you. Is that what you want to do?" I asked. "Save kids in Africa?"

"No. I mean, of course I do yes. But I… I could do that here too. This city used to be so much brighter, and I could make a difference here. I can help make this city great again. I don't feel bad about taking money from some rich guy if it means I could use it to help so many others instead. I refuse to. I want to make this city a better place."

There was an impressive level of determination and conviction in Taylor's voice. "First of all, you're way too young to be reminiscing about the glory days of Brockton Bay." I stated, but with a cheerful grin to let her know that I was only ribbing her. "But, you've certainly convinced me. I'm on your side. We can look at charities to fund later, or even start a foundation in your name once you've earned a bit more money. Like I said earlier, trying to get anything larger scale done will take a lot more groundwork."

We were interrupted by a server bringing our appetizers over. One large tray contained a dozen raw oysters, and another plate held several thick slices of succulent pork belly. Taylor's eyes lit up at the sight of the bacon, though she looked at the oysters with a fair bit of trepidation.

"Go on, try an oyster. They are delectable." I prodded her.

"They're raw!" She protested, though she did reach out and take one. She grimaced slightly at the mollusk, but ultimately scooped it into her mouth and chewed on it with a thoughtful look on her face.

"You know, most kids your age have problems of a considerably different scale." I commented.

Taylor chuckled a bit at that, and gave me a halfhearted shrug. "Most kids aren't capes."

"True, but you're still just a teenager. You're going to make a huge difference to so many people, and you're going to save so many lives just with your healing. You're not responsible for the welfare of the entire city." I sighed deeply. "Just don't… get so caught up in it that you forget to live your own life."

Taylor was quiet as she attacked the bacon on her plate with quite a bit more enthusiasm than the raw oysters.

"Anyways," I continued. "We're supposed to be celebrating. We don't need to talk about anything so heavy. What's new with you? Starting a new school soon?"

"Yeah, Arcadia in a few weeks." Taylor responded with a slightly dejected tone.

"You don't seem happy about that." I commented.

"No, I am… just nervous I guess." Taylor said. "We'll have to change the times we can meet after I start school."

"That won't be an issue. We'll make it work." I replied. "Don't worry so much about it. Arcadia is a great school. You should try to enjoy your time there."

Taylor gave me a small smile and a nod. She chomped down on a large piece of bacon, causing a large drop of pork grease to drip onto her pristine white dress. She frowned as she examined the small stain on her dress, and then muttered something quietly under her breath and waved her hand over the spot. The small stain disappeared instantly.

"Huh, that seems handy." I commented.

"I know right!" Taylor responded cheerfully. "I call it Prestidigitation."

"Wow, you're kind of a nerd, huh?"

That earned me a heavy pout from Taylor.

"Alright, alright! I admit defeat!" I exclaimed, holding my hands up in surrender. "Turn it off."

She smiled smugly and resumed eating her bacon.

"So, what else is new with you?" I asked.

"Umm… I don't know." Taylor began awkwardly. "I've been practicing acrobatics."

Acrobatics? Can't this kid have any normal hobbies? Maybe I should give her a videogame system or something.

"Turns out I have slightly enhanced agility or dexterity or something like that." Taylor continued. "Nothing superhuman, but I can do flips and cartwheels way easier than I can before. I thought about finding a gymnastics class or something, but those are usually for little kids."

"Hmm, well you could join the cheerleading team at Arcadia once you start there. They probably do a lot of tumbling." I suggested.

She stared at me with her mouth open, utterly flabbergasted. "What? That's insane. I'm not a cheerleader!"

"Well not yet, but if you joined the team then you would be." I responded, pretending I was oblivious to her point. Ahh, teenagers. They always take these things so seriously, as if their identity depended so much on these superficial labels.

Taylor leveled an impressive glare at me, but I wasn't fazed. Heh, I've made it through two divorces and a messy affair with a foxy district court judge. She'd have to try a lot harder than that to perturb me.

"I meant," she began slowly, "that it's not for me. It's not who I am."

"Listen kid, when you get older, you're going to realize that people aren't defined by such meaningless tags as who they voted for in the last election or what afterschool club they belonged to in high school. You should approach these things with an open mind. Who knows, you might make some new friends, and find something new that you actually enjoy. I don't think I've ever regretted giving something new an honest try."

Taylor tilted her head a little and looked at me quietly. As expected, I could tell she was considering my words carefully. She was a good kid – and she was smart and thoughtful.

Our server came by then with our main course. In front of me, she placed a magnificent steak, char-grilled to perfection. In front of Taylor, she plopped a salad that looked more fit for a rabbit than a wealthy parahuman. She eyed my gigantic steak with what I can only assume was envy. I decided to be magnanimous, and I cut a generous portion from my steak and dropped it onto her sad looking salad. She gave me a grateful nod, and started digging into her food.

"Why capes?" She asked suddenly, after a few minutes of quiet eating.

I chewed the piece of succulent steak in my mouth slowly. "What do you mean?"

"Why specialize in parahuman law? There has to be safer things to specialize in."

Ah, what a question. Sometimes I ask myself that too, when I stared at the scar that ran alongside my face in the mirror. "Did you know that I clerked for the Supreme Court?" I asked.

Taylor frowned a bit at the non sequitur. "I think it's on your biography on your website."

"Yup, back in the 90s, right after I graduated from Columbia Law School. Capes had barely been around for a decade back then, and things were… a lot different. There were a lot more rogues, and people thought parahumans were going to spur the next big economic boom. Then NEPEA-5 happened. Have you heard of that?"

Taylor shook her head.

"It was a bill introduced by Congress in the mid-90s that sought to limit parahumans in business and media enterprises." I explained. "Before then, the legality of parahumans earning money in their cape persona was pretty dodgy. They relied more on a patchwork of loopholes and State laws to earn money and pay taxes safely. NEPEA-5 was sold as a more comprehensive framework for integrating parahumans in society, but in reality it was more of a protectionist bill that forced almost all of the legal parahuman-run businesses in the US out of business. Uppermost, the largest rogue parahuman organization at the time lobbied the PRT for assistance in defeating the bill, but the PRT turned them down."

"Why didn't they help?" Taylor asked, as she continued munching on her salad. I was slightly annoyed that my monologuing was preventing me from consuming my steak, but I pressed on.

I shrugged. "Who knows? Maybe they thought that it would force a lot of the rogues to join the Protectorate. Or maybe they were trying to protect their political capital. The bill was pretty popular at the time with the general public. There were fears that the common folk wouldn't be able to compete with the fancy new cape ventures, and that parahumans were going to force a lot of traditional businesses to close shop. It's possible the PRT didn't want to pick a political fight that they couldn't win, and the bill ended up passing Congress with an overwhelming majority. Regardless of why they didn't help, their stance pissed a lot of capes off, and the result was disastrous. Sure, some of the rogues ended up joining the Protectorate, but even more became villains or immigrated to a country with friendlier cape laws, such as Canada. Uppermost folded, and rebuilt itself into the Elite, arguably the largest and most powerful criminal syndicate in the world. There was a lot of money tied up in investments in parahuman related ventures at the time, and the passage of the bill even coincided with a short recession. It was just a disaster, all around."

"Umm, that's an interesting history lesson, but it didn't really have anything to do with what I asked you." Taylor said.

I chuckled a little and rubbed my neck sheepishly. I almost forgot about that, and I had half-hoped that Taylor would also. "Right, I'm getting there. The ACLU sued the government on behalf of rogues, arguing that the bill was unconstitutional. They had the perfect test plaintiff, too. Lux. Have you heard of her?"

Taylor shook her head. Jeez, what do they teach kids these days in school.

"You will if you ever take any cape history classes in college. Anyways, Lux was a rogue tinker that specialized in low-power but highly efficient energy supplies. Nobody was sure how it worked, but she could build these portable power generators that lasted for ages. They didn't put out a lot of power, but there were a lot of useful applications, such as camping, emergency relief, RV and boats, et cetera. For every ten she sold, she would donate one of them to charities operating in developing nations."

I paused from speaking to take another bite out of my steak. Taylor shot me an annoyed glance and gestured for me to continue. She already finished her rabbit food, and my steak was getting cold, so I decided to ignore her and take another bite.

I sighed and continued speaking. "Right, so Lux was incredibly charismatic and intelligent. She also had a lot of goodwill with the public for her charitable endeavors, so she was the ideal plaintiff. By the time her case went all the way to the Supreme Court, she had managed to sway a lot of people over. I was clerking for Justice Ginsburg at the time when the court heard the case. It really made an impact with me. Well, she really made an impact with me."

"Oh?" Taylor started, with a sly smile on her face. "You liked her, didn't you?"

I snorted at that. "Yeah, me and every able-bodied male in DC at the time. She spoke really eloquently on the issues. Gave a lot of speeches and media appearances at the time in opposition of the bill. I first met her at a charity dinner shortly before her case was heard by the Supreme Court. Like I said, she made a big impact on me at a time in my life when I still wasn't sure what I wanted to do with my law degree."

"What happened next?" Taylor asked.

"She lost. Well, technically, it was a tied decision. Justice Rehnquist recused himself. He had a lot of money in a fund that specifically invested in parahuman ventures. Still, the result was that the law was upheld."

Taylor rolled her eyes. "I meant what happened with Lux. Did you ask her out?"

I paused again to finish the last pieces of my steak. Damn, that was a good steak. Of course, I also felt my own mortality encroaching after downing a completely unhealthy portion of red meat, but some things in life were worth it.

"Well?" Taylor asked again, looking impatient now.

"Ah… she died. About half a year after the Court's decision."

"Oh! I'm s-sorry. " Taylor stuttered out, looking shocked and embarrassed at my last statement.

I shrugged. "It was a while ago. You know the rest of the story from my bio. I worked at a large firm in New York for a few years after, and then left to join a small boutique that specialized in parahuman law. That small boutique grew rapidly over the last decade, and now I'm the managing partner of the Brockton Bay branch of Anderson, Whitney, and Calle LLP."

"For what it's worth," Taylor said softly to me, "I'm glad you're my lawyer." Aw, how adorable.

"You're just saying that because I'm paying for your lunch, aren't you?"

"Yup, that's exactly right." She replied, with a wide grin.

What a cheeky brat.


	11. Interlude - 2z (Parahumans Online)

**Interlude – 2.z (Parahumans Online)**

* * *

 **Welcome to the Parahumans Online message boards.**  
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* * *

 **Topic:Lung attacking Boardwalk right now!  
In: Boards ►News ► USA ► Northeast ► Brockton Bay  
GARcher** (Original Poster) (The Guy Not in the Know)  
Posted OnMar 11th 2011:  
Omg, Lung just showed up at Parian's event at the Boardwalk, and they're totally going to fight! I'm hiding nearby right now, but I'll try to get a video of what Girl and the new chick Nightingale are here too. Hopefully the Protectorate can get here soon.

will upload video when I can.

edit: here's the link to the video I took! Lung's gone now and the place is swarming with PRT. Man they really wrecked this place. Purity and Dauntless are here right now also. I'm gunna go try to get some autorgraphs!

 **(Showing page1of12)**

 **►MeanWyrm**  
Replied On Mar 11th 2011:  
Wtf, are you insane? Get out of there. Dont stick around to record a video.

 **►ActuallyTotallyEvil**  
Replied On Mar 11th 2011:  
Lung's attacking the Boardwalk in broad daylight? There's no way the Protectorate are going to let this slide.

And seriously, +1 with what MeanWyrm said. You need to get out of there.

 **►ThatInsaneGuy**  
Replied On Mar 11th 2011:  
Right, like the Protectorate has done such a good job in the past with dealing with Lung. This is Brockton Bay. The gangs will do what they'll do, the PRT will put out a strongly worded press release, and things will go back to normal in a week.

 **►Primarily Libel**  
Replied On Mar 11th 2011:  
ThatInsaneGuy

C'mon man, that's a bit cynical. Our Protectorate does the best they can. They're outnumbered heavily by the villains, and if they ever go hard against any one of the gangs, the others step up and makes things really shitty everywhere else. They're pretty much caught between a rock and a hard place.

 **►Book Maker** (Verified Cape) (Wards OKC)  
Replied On Mar 11th 2011:  
Holy crap the villains you guys have in BB are crazy. Things are so quiet over here in OKC by comparison O_O.

 **►Rob209**  
Replied On Mar 11th 2011:  
Brockton Bay: so shitty that capes from other towns feel the need to show up on our boards and comment about how shitty our town is.

 **►Creus_Sun**  
Replied On Mar 11th 2011:  
I'm nearby in the area too, though I evacuated to a safe distance. It sounds like they're fighting now! Lung is such a dick. I hope Parian and Nightingale are OK. They don't have Glory Girl's invulnerability :(

 **►Lightgryffin**  
Replied On Mar 11th 2011:  
Guys, there was a thread earlier today about a sighting of Armsmaster and a bunch of other BB Protectorate heroes in Charlestown. If they're still out there, they might not be able to get here anytime soon!

 **►Nalsalsa**  
Replied On Mar 11th 2011:  
What the hell are they doing out there? Taking a vacation? Ffs.

 **►Valinor**  
Replied On Mar 11th 2011:  
They're the Protectorate ENE, not the Protectorate Brockton Bay. Capes and villains exist outside of only the major cities you know. Every Protectorate hq is responsible for the general surrounding area around them.

 **End of Page. 1,** **2** **,** **3** **...** **10** **,** **11** **,** **12**

 **(Showing page 12of12)**

 **►Modigar**  
Replied On Mar 11th 2011:  
Any updates?

 **►Dragishly Surly**  
Replied On Mar 11th 2011:  
The PRT just put out a press release here: link, and they're going to hold a press conference soon to discuss their next moves tonight at 8:00 PM.

 **►Not-Quite-A-ROB**  
Replied On Mar 11th 2011:  
What a load of crap! "Lung was driven off in a joint effort between Dauntless and a number of other unnamed independent capes."

I was there at the time. Dauntless didn't show up until the very end, and he didn't even do anything except let Lung walk away. It was mostly Glory Girl and Lung slugging it out the entire time, with Parian and Nightingale helping. Hell, even Purity showed up before Dauntless did.

 **►Mechanical_Messiah**  
Replied On Mar 11th 2011:  
Heh, well if there's three things in life you can count on, it's death, taxes, and the PRT making up bullshit to make themselves look better.

 **►Knopeden**  
Replied On Mar 11th 2011:  
Yeah, a press conference detailing their next moves. I'm quivering in anticipation. They didn't even bother showing up while the Boardwalk was getting wrecked. Is anyone expecting them to magically announce that they're finally going to defeat the gangs?

 **►Mkez45634**  
Replied On Mar 11th 2011:  
So what was the deal with the Protectorate? Why did they never show up?

 **►Glave**  
Replied On Mar 11th 2011:  
I think they were responding to an out-of-town cape situation. Must have been pretty serious if it pulled so many heroes away from BB.

 **End of Page.** **1** **,** **2** **,** **3** **,** **4** **...** **10** **,** **11** **, 12**

* * *

 **Topic:New Cape in BB, Nightingale, independent hero/PRT affiliated  
In: Boards ►News ► USA ► Northeast ► Brockton Bay  
Axle Phonics** (Original Poster)  
Posted OnMar 2nd 2011:

The PRT ENE has just issued a press release, link here, about a new hero named Nightingale in Brockton Bay. There's a picture in the link, and so far the only thing we know about her powers are that she can heal. She is expected to start volunteering at the local BB hospitals this week or next week.

She's currently an independent, though it kinda sounds like she may join the Wards in the near future (yes, she's a minor. keep it appropriate), and the PRT have already labeled her as a PRT affiliate, which probably means that she's on call for healing. Panacea has a similar arrangement with the local PRT.

No pictures yet, but her costume was described as a white dress with red accents. She also has a thin, red cape attached to one shoulder.

edit: there have been some pics floating around now, see here: link link link

 **(Showing page19of20)**

 **►The Stormchaser**  
Replied On Mar 11th 2011:  
Nightingale was at the hospital two days ago and she healed my dad! It's a shame she's not more active on PHO. I sent her a PM to thank her, but she never responded I wanted to send her a card or present something.

 **►StrangerDanger** (Verified Stalker)  
Replied On Mar 11th 2011:  
She probably gets tons of PMs from fans and people who want healing on here. Don't feel bad that she didn't respond! She never responds to my messages either T-T

 **►Glory Girl** (Verified Cape) (New Wave)  
Replied On Mar 11th 2011:  
Aww, she's just shy. You should see how much work it takes me to get her out of her... shell

 **►ElbowPuncher222**  
Replied On Mar 11th 2011:  
So, Nightingale was at the Boardwalk earlier this afternoon with Glory Girl when Lung went on his latest rampage. Here's some video of her in action! link link

I always thought her power was only healing, but she's shown here flying and shooting purple laser beams!

 **►Mandabar**  
Replied On Mar 11th 2011:  
Wow, she really won the power lottery. I'm guessing she's some kind of grab-bag trump like Myrddin or Eidolon? Why did she hide her powers?

 **►Semiautoscience**  
Replied On Mar 11th 2011:  
She doesn't have to be a grab-bag trump. Maybe she copies powers from people around her? Let's look at the situtation. She's tight with New Wave (even her costume is kind of similar to what they wear!). She could've gotten the healing from Panacea, and the flight + purple lasers from Laserdream. Her lasers actually look really similar to Laserdream's!

 **►EFW3**  
Replied On Mar 11th 2011:  
Or she could be an illegitimate New Wave child. Would explain why she's mostly been spotted with New Wave instead of joining the Wards.

I don't know if I'd say she's won the power lottery. Sure healing is an awesome ability, but based on the video, she looks a lot slower than Laserdream/Glory Girl in the air, and her lasers weren't really hurting Lung that much.

 **►SnickerSnack** (Verified Tinfoil Hat)  
Replied On Mar 11th 2011:  
Ooh, plot twist, what if she's secretly Fleur's daughter? Didn't she have a kid who would be a teenager about now? Maybe that's why Lightstar left town, to protect their daughter! Would explain why she has the same powers as other New Wave members, the costume, even why she's not unmasked like the rest of her family.

*Tin_Mother: It's against the rules to speculate on the identity of a masked cape.  
*User received an infraction for this post

 **►Akatsunami**  
Replied On Mar 11th 2011:  
Ooooh there's an interesting idea! I think it 's come back to Brockton Bay to get revenge for her mom! I guess that means this is the end of the GloryxNights ship if that's true.

 **►SubmissiveNumber7792**  
Replied On Mar 11th 2011:  
I'm never giving up on this ship! Vivre les cousins dangereux!

 **End of Page.** **1** **,** **2** **,** **3** **...** **17** **,** **18** **, 19**

* * *

 **Private Message from Nightingale**

Nightingale: Thank you for the lute! I love it.

Insight: Glad you like it ;). I have a feeling you'll be very good at it.

Nightingale: I've never played before. Any recommended books for self-teaching?

Insight: I'll look around and get back to you. You'll have to play for me sometime ;).

Nightingale: That would require us to meet.

Insight: One day. Look forward to it :)

Nightingale: Ha, you've been saying that for a while now. I don't believe you anymore.

Insight: :(

* * *

 **Private Message from Nightingale**

Nightingale: Sooo… who was that guy you asked me to heal?

Insight: Wouldn't you like to know? Careful now, remember the rules.

Nightingale: Hah, I know. You don't have to tell me. I was just curious.

Insight: Let me guess, you're wondering if he's my boyfriend?

Nightingale: Is he?

Insight: Why, are you jealous? Just say the word sweetheart, and I'll leave him for you.

Insight: Hello? Don't ignore me.

* * *

 **Private Message from Nightingale**

Insight: You've been holding out on me, you naughty girl.

Nightingale: What?

Insight: Your powers. You're still gaining new and better powers, aren't you. Why didn't you tell me :(

Nightingale: Sorry… I've been trying to keep it a secret

Insight: That's probably smart. Fighting Lung? Not so smart.

Nightingale: Not like I had a choice :(

Insight: Word of warning: you're even more attractive as a recruitment target now. I'd invest in a good home security system, and maybe some better security toys to keep on you. Quinn can set you up with a connection to the Toybox.

Nightingale: Toybox?

Insight: Collective of rogue tinkers who sell stuff to the general public. Super expensive price tags, but you can afford it, can't you?

Nightingale: Yeah, I'll ask Quinn about it. Hey, my burner phone was wrecked in the fight with Lung. What do you think about using just my PRT-issued phone for all my cape business?

Insight: That depends, do you 1) trust the PRT, and 2) never plan on doing anything illegal?

Nightingale: Yes, to both of those I guess. Sounds like you think it's a bad idea though.

Insight: Nobody _plans_ on doing anything illegal. It just happens, sometimes beyond our control. You're such a goody-two-shoes that you'll probably be fine.

Insight: Btw, thanks for giving Purity a chance. She's really trying to do good. And I'm not just being paid to say that.

Nightingale: Yeah, no problem. People deserve second chances, and I sleep much easier knowing she's on our side.

Insight: I know it wouldn't be popular PR wise, but you should consider getting closer to her. She'd make a powerful ally, and she'd definitely appreciate what you bring to the table.

Insight: Just saying, it's a smart idea to be on the good side of the most powerful blaster in town.

Nightingale: I'll think about it.

Insight: OK, that's all I can ask for. And also, I'm glad you're safe


	12. Crescendo 3-1

**Crescendo – 3.1**

March 11th 2011

I was exhausted when I finally made it home after spending what seemed like hours answering questions for the PRT. To make matters worse, my flight gave out before I reached my house, and I had to walk the rest of the way while invisible. I was going to have to test my flight a lot more thoroughly before I could use it safely.

"Taylor? Is that you?" Dad called out. He stepped out from the kitchen and glanced around the living room. Crap, he came home early from work. That probably meant that he already knew about the fight with Lung. "If you're here and you're invisible, you better drop it right now!"

As much as I would love to avoid this conversation right now, I couldn't do that to my dad. I sighed and stepped out into the visible spectrum. "Hi Dad, I'm home."

He quickly stepped forward and wrapped me into a tight hug. "God Taylor, I was worried sick! Couldn't you have at least given me a call? I got us cell phones exactly for this reason."

I winced a bit in shame. I had hoped that Dad wouldn't have found out about that before I had a chance to talk to him. "Dad, I'm OK. I'm sorry for not contacting you, but my cell phone got smashed during the scuffle."

He looked me over carefully from head to toe. I was still in costume, and I was glad I decided to clean myself up a little bit using Prestidigitation before heading home. Luckily, my brand new costume wasn't damaged in the fight, and I had even managed to find my cape in a pile of rubble after Lung had left. Dad sighed heavily. "Honestly, Taylor, what were you thinking, trying to take on Lung like that?"

"It's not like we had a choice," I mumbled out. "I was just there to visit Parian. Nobody could've expected Lung to show up and be a dick."

"Language, Taylor!" Dad sighed again and slumped down onto his armchair. "If this is what I have to look forward to, I don't know how I'm going to handle you being a hero. I almost had a heart attack when I heard you were fighting Lung on the news."

"Dad, we live Brockton Bay. We have one of the highest incidences of parahuman crime in the country. I could get attacked by any random gang just walking to school or the library." Well, that seemed like the wrong to say, judging by the look on his face now. "Look, let me get changed out of this costume first and I'll get started with dinner.

I went upstairs to my room and grabbed some casual wear to change into. My broken bones and bruises had healed up nicely, but I was so exhausted that simply taking off my costume was quite the ordeal. Parian's work was amazing, but did the costume have to come in so many pieces? The skin-tight spider-silk body stocking especially was a pain in the ass to get in and out of.

I felt oddly vulnerable as I slipped on a pair of running shorts and a loose t-shirt, despite only having my armored outfit for one afternoon. Hmm, that was a silly thought. It's not like I was going to get attacked in my own home.

I went back downstairs and started boiling a pot of water. I was too tired to bother making anything more complicated than pasta at the moment. A light pasta dish with cherry tomatoes and mozzarella sounded good and easy right now. Dad sat around awkwardly in the kitchen while I bustled about.

"Uhh, I can take care of dinner." He offered halfheartedly.

Yikes. I loved my Dad, but I wasn't sure how long that would last if I was forced to eat his cooking. The last time he tried to make frozen pizza, he left the cardboard base in the oven and almost burned down our kitchen. "Errgh, that's OK Dad. I can handle it."

"Hey! I'm not _that_ useless in the kitchen." Dad protested.

"No, I just like to cook." More than I liked eating his inedible monstrosities at least. "Really, Dad, it's fine."

More silence followed. I could tell he wanted to bring up what happened earlier again, but it was harder now that the moment had passed. I sighed. Why was it so hard to just talk to each other? It didn't used to be, back when Mom was still with us. I took a good look at him. His face looked more wrinkled and tired than usual, and it looked like he had lost some weight recently. I've been keeping him healthy with my power, so was it stress? Was it my fault?

I cleared my throat. "So… you have any plans this weekend?"

Dad looked up suddenly, as if he was startled by my voice. "Ah, I probably have to work this weekend. There's going to be a lot of reconstruction happening at the Boardwalk, and I want to be able to get some of my guys hired for it."

"Ah, well that and the fact that nobody got hurt is a nice silver lining, right?" I asked. I added a dab of olive oil and salt to the now boiling water, right before I tossed a few cups of pasta in.

Dad frowned a bit and shrugged. "Maybe. Sure, there's some short term work available, but insurance rates are going to go up, and it just makes our city look even more lawless and unsafe. Hopefully this won't impact tourism here long-term. People don't like to be reminded of how prevalent the gangs are."

"Dad, I should probably let you know that I need to back to the Boardwalk sometime this weekend." I informed him.

His eyes shot up to meet mine. "What? Why?"

"I told Parian I'd help her sort through the rubble of her shop after the PRT investigators were done with the place." I replied. "Also, some of my stuff is still in there. Don't worry, I think the Protectorate or Wards will be stepping up their patrols there this weekend. It'll be perfectly safe."

Dad sighed in acquiescence. "Just make sure you get a new cell phone and keep me updated on where you are, OK? I'll give you some money."

"Sure Dad, and you don't need to give me money. I have enough right now."

A weird look passed over Dad's face at my reply, but it quickly passed, and I went back to making dinner.

* * *

March 13th, 2011

Flying was every bit as exhilarating as I dreamed it would be. With my hood down and the wind blowing through my hair, it was the most fun I'd had in years.

I spent most of the previous day testing my flight. Unfortunately, it was pretty limited compared to the other top flyers in the city. I was nowhere near as fast Glory Girl or Laserdream. I couldn't be sure what my top speed was, but it didn't appear faster than the cars driving beneath me. Of course, it was still faster overall than taking the bus or being driven around since I didn't have to bother with stoplights or traffic.

The other big limitation was that I couldn't fly indefinitely. Each time I used my flight ability only granted me flight for about ten minutes, and it required me to concentrate to maintain it. I couldn't both fly and be invisible at the same time. Despite the shortcomings of my flight, I wasn't letting it get me down too much. I was still flying, and it was every bit as awesome as I had hoped it would be. I wouldn't be flying to New York for a quick vacation anytime soon, but it was incredibly convenient for just getting around town. The Boardwalk, which would've been a lengthy walk or jog from my house, was now a mere five minute flight away.

As I neared my destination, the Boardwalk, I paused in midair to tuck my hair back under my hood. I slowly descended as I neared Parian's shop, as to not scare any of the denizens that were at the Boardwalk. There were noticeably fewer people there than usual, and large sections were cordoned off with yellow caution tape. I vaguely noticed the increasingly familiar sight of cameras and phones pointed towards me as I landed in front of Parian's Dollhouse.

I took in the sight of her store as I gingerly stepped over the caution tape that surrounded her store. The front had been wrecked pretty thoroughly, and the double doors leading in had been torn off. Parian had a large linen sheet hung up over the entrance though, which afforded whoever was inside their privacy. I knocked on a piece of un-destroyed wall. "Hello? It's Nightingale." I called out.

I heard movement from within the store, and then Parian's masked face popped out from behind the curtain. "Hi there!" She called out cheerfully. "Come on in. Just step through the curtain." Her face disappeared back inside the store as quickly as it appeared. That was… weird.

I made my way inside the store. Parian was fluttering about with an almost manic energy, sweeping futilely with a broom. It didn't look like she was making much progress. A large pink bunny sat in the middle of the room, ostensibly serving as Parian's bodyguard. It didn't look very menacing.

"Are you… OK?" I asked. "You seem very… upbeat."

"Oh, I'm flipping out on the inside!" Parian responded cheerfully, with a girlish giggle. "I think I've snapped and gone insane. But am I really insane if I think I'm insane? Is there such a thing as lucid insanity? Should I cut off all my hair and move to Florida?"

Yikes, she was definitely freaking out. I didn't know how to respond to that, so I simply stepped forward and wrapped her up in a hug. She looked like she needed one. "Hey," I said gently to her. "It'll be OK."

Parian stiffened at first, but then leaned into me and hugged me back. I heard her sigh deeply as we separated. Her shoulders slumped a little. "Calle says it could take weeks for my insurance claim to be processed. I barely have enough to cover the deposits I'll have to return for all the items that Lung wrecked. I just..."

"Hey, that's not a problem. Look, I'll lend you as much as you need. No strings attached." I replied confidently. I should have more than enough to cover what Parian needed.

"What? That's not why I br-" Parian started to say.

"I know. Really, I have plenty of money, and I'm happy to help you out." I replied.

"You'd do that for me? We barely know each other." Parian responded incredulously.

I shrugged a bit at that. "Well, we're both Calle's clients. And besides, I'd like to think that we can be friends. Friends help each other out."

Parian stared at me for a second before rushing forward and squeezing me into a tight hug. "Thank you." She whispered to me. "I'll pay you back as soon as my insurance claim gets in."

"Yeah, sure. There's no rush." I replied. It's not like I was hoarding my money for anything specific right now, and it made me happy to help her. I saw something move in the corner of my eyes, and before I could stop myself, I let out an undignified squeak and jumped backwards.

Parian's head snapped to where I was looking, as a veritable horde of black insects poured into Parian's shop from the rubble near the back of her store. Alright, maybe it wasn't that many, but it still caught me offguard. Parian chuckled at the sight. "It's alright Nightingale, it's probably just Arachne."

The insects congregated together to form a denser mass, which then reconfigured itself to spell out a message: I'M SORRY.

"It's… not your fault." Parian replied quietly. "Well, if you _are_ really sorry, you can always sell me a bolt of Golden Orb Weaver silk at a discount."

The bugs rearranged themselves in response. YES, FREE. After a second, the bugs moved again. CHECK DROP LATER.

"Aww, that's so nice of you!" Parian responded.

I shuddered a little. I can't believe Parian was having a conversation with a mass of bugs. Parian tilted her head and looked at me. Even with her full face mask on, I could just tell that she was smirking at me.

"Don't tell me you're scared of some little itty bitty bugs." She teased me.

"Wha- I'm not scare of them! They're just creepy and disgusting." I replied. Honestly, what kind of a girl actually likes bugs. Note to self, try to find a bug exterminating power.

"Hey, you're going to make Arachne feel bad." Parian chided, though her tone was mirthful.

I felt my face flush in embarrassment. "S-sorry!" I stammered out at the mass of bugs that were in front of us.

The bugs rearranged themselves again. ITS OK. After a pause, the bugs spelled out another message. USED TO IT.

Well, that just made me feel even worse. "I really didn't mean to offend you. I'm just… not used to so many insects."

The mass of insects bobbed a little, as if to acknowledge my words. I glanced around the shop a bit. Where was she? Parian chuckled again at my action.

"She's probably not anywhere nearby. Her range is pretty large. She can be a bit… 'recluse'-ive!" Parian said, using her fingers to make the air quotes. She looked really pleased with herself.

I simply shot her a blank look; such behavior must not be encouraged. Arachne's bugs spelled out another word: AWFUL. I chuckled at her message, while Parian gave a small humph and flicked her hair. Wait, Arachne could surveil us from blocks away? That was even creepier! Big Sister is watching. Or… Bug Sister is watching. Heheh.

The bugs rapidly reformed themselves again to spell out two words before quickly diving out of site and scuttling away through the cracks and the rubble. INCOMING. WARDS.

"Knock knock!" A voice called out from beyond Parian's makeshift curtain door. "It's your friendly neighborhood Clockblocker. Is anyone home?"

With a wave of her hand, Parian parted the curtain, revealing two of our local Wards, Clockblocker and Vista. Clockblocker was a little bit shorter in person than I had pictured. His costume, a white bodysuit, was covered with the images of clocks. Amazingly, the hands on the clocks on his suit actually spun lazily. How the heck did that work? I wondered briefly if it was some kind of tinkertech, and if they really wasted a tinker's time making a costume with spinning clocks instead of something actually useful.

Vista on the other hand, was even more adorable in person. She had a bright green dress that was covered in swooping white lines and armored plates. Strawberry blonde hair poked out from underneath the visored helmet she wore. I resisted the urge to pinch her cheeks. Something told me she wouldn't appreciate that. Must have been my incredibly high IQ at work.

Parian welcomed the two youthful heroes in. "You're free to come on in, but I'm afraid I'm not open for business right now."

Clockblocker chuckled a bit. "Yes, well we can see that."

"I hope you don't mind us dropping in." Vista said. "We're assigned to patrol here on the Boardwalk today, and we saw Nightingale fly in just now, and thought we'd come introduce ourselves."

Vista spoke in a prim and proper manner, as if she was trying to portray herself as a consummate professional.

"Ahem," Clockblocker began, while staring at me. "It's a good thing I brought my library card, because I'm definitely check-"

He was interrupted by an impressive elbow to the gut by Vista. "Shut it, Clock!" She hissed at him.

"Gah, that actually hurt! Totally unnecessary." Clockblocker moaned.

"Let's agree to disagree on that." Vista retorted. The little heroine cleared her throat and turned back to me. "Anyways, I'm glad that you agreed to be a PRT-affiliated cape. Is there any chance that you'll consider joining the Wards in the future?"

"Ah, well maybe." I responded. "There's some things I want to accomplish first on my own before I consider joining the Wards and PRT."

"Well, you have a PRT phone right?" Vista asked. "Let's exchange PRT numbers. If you ever have any questions about the Wards or what we do, I would be happy to answer them. There's a lot of great things about being a Ward, though it would mean that you'd have to put up with Clockblocker here."

"Hey!" Clockblocker uttered indignantly. "If anything, that should be a major selling point."

"Sure," Vista said, patting Clockblocker on the back. "Keep telling yourself that, Clock."

"So…" I began, trying to make some conversation. "You like to read?"

"Huh? Wha?" Clockblocker responded eloquently, confusion evident in his tone.

"Umm, you said something about going to the library later?" I asked.

Clockblocker stared at me in silence. I noticed Vista making an odd choking sound as she turned her face away from us, while Parian had brought her palm up to her face mask. Did I say something wrong?

"Yes!" Clockblocker suddenly responded loudly. "I like to read. And I will be going to the library later."

Vista let out a little giggle and started dragging Clockblocker away. "We really need to get back on patrol, but it was great meeting you! Bye now!"

We waved goodbye as the pair of heroes disappeared through the entrance to the Dollhouse.

"Well that was interesting." I said to Parian as soon as the two of us were alone. Clockblocker and Vista seemed nice. Maybe joining the Wards wouldn't be such a bad idea, but I kind of liked where I was right now.

"Oh!" Parian said suddenly. She walked over and pulled my backpack from a box that was sitting in the corner of her shop. "I found your backpack, and your old prototype costume. It's undamaged, so you can still use it for when you're at the hospital or a PR event."

"Ah, thanks!" I took the backpack from her gratefully. There wasn't really anything important in it, but it would be nice to have a spare costume if I ever needed it.

"Arachne, can you give us some privacy?" Parian called out to the store. What the, was she still here, spying on us? Parian waited a few seconds before turning to face me again. "I haven't had the chance to thank you yet for the other day."

"Oh, that's OK. I really didn't do that much." I responded. I really hadn't. If Glory Girl hadn't been there, things would've gone a lot worse for us.

"No, you did plenty. You didn't have to stay. Nobody would've blamed you if you left."

"I would nev-" I tried to protest.

"I know." Parian said, stopping me. "Still, I'm grateful that you stood by me, and I do want us to be friends. So…"

With one quick motion, Parian reached up and yanked off her mask, and to my astonishment, what was apparently her wig. Parian looked nothing like I imagined. Instead of a pale blonde haired girl with blue eyes, she had dark olive skin and looked like she was of Middle Eastern descent. She was definitely beautiful, with lustrous jet black hair, and large chocolate eyes with long eyelashes.

She gave me a small smile. "Hi, I'm Sabah. You don't have to unmask or anything, it was just something I felt like doing."

I lowered my hood and took off my domino mask. "My name is Taylor. It's nice to meet you."

"I'm not what you expected, huh?" She asked.

I chuckled a little. "Nope, I was expecting an Aryan princess. Someone the E88 would kill for."

Sabah snorted at that. "Yeah, they'd definitely be less interested in the real me."

"Well it's certainly an effective disguise."

"Hmm, that wasn't my original intent actually. I originally planned to unmask one day, and start a whole debate on race assumptions." Sabah said, with a shrug.

"Ah, that's pretty clever."

"Yeah, I thought so. Don't think I'm going to go through with it, though. At least not while I'm in Brockton Bay. This city is too dangerous to unmask myself so cavalierly."

I winced at Sabah's words. Our largest gang was comprised of literally Nazis. "Well, hopefully one day it won't be so dangerous for you."

"Hmm, you're an optimist, huh? Well I plan on staying in Brockton Bay for a while, so I hope you're right. Now, we should probably put our masks back on before somebody wanders in here accidentally."

I smiled at her as I put my mask on. I had a friend now, one who actually knew my name and who I didn't have to pay to associate with me. All things considered, life was pretty good.

* * *

 **AN**

 **.**

Welcome to arc 3! We just hit over 100 favorites! Woohoo! Thank you everyone for reading, and following/fav/reviewing.

Some responses to reviews:

I still have a couple of pre-written chapters left, so the fast updating should continue for another week.

Dominate Monster - well, even if Endbringers counted, their stats would be so insanely high that they would practically never fail a saving throw.

Taylor's spell list can get confusing as it gets longer. I'll list it out everytime she gets a new spell, or every couple chapter if I feel it's needed.

* * *

 **Taylor's Current Spell List**

 **.**

 **Cantrips (unlimited castings)**

· **Mage Hand** – creates a spectral hand that allows Taylor to manipulate objects within 30 feet of her, or allow her to pick up an item up to 10 pounds in weight.

· **Minor Illusion** – allows Taylor to create an illusory sound or image. Sounds can be any voice or sound that Taylor can imagine, and the volume can range from a whisper to a scream. Visual illusions must be no larger than a 5 foot cube, and can't create smell, light, sound, or other sensory effects.

· **Prestidigitation** – a collection of minor magical tricks, such as creating a minor sensory affect, cleaning or soiling a small object, lighting or snuffing out a small fire, creating various small illusions, and other small effects.

· **Eldritch Blast** – fires beams of intense energy at a target. The spell creates more beams at higher levels.

 **Level 1 Spells**

· **Thunderwave** – generates a thunderous blast of force up to fifteen feet out in front of Taylor, hurting and knocking back everything in her path. Generates a thunderous boom audible up to 300 feet away.

· **Sleep** – causes people or creatures in an area up to 120 feet away from Taylor to fall asleep. Can be resisted by those of strong fortitude and constitution.

· **Cure Wounds** – a person or creature that Taylor touches rapidly regenerates towards a healthy state.

 **Level 2 Spells**

· **Invisibility** – Taylor or a person that Taylor touches becomes invisible for up to an hour. The effect ends when an offensive action is taken. Requires concentration.

· **Lesser Restoration** – a person that Taylor touches is cured of one disease or ailment.

· **Detect Thoughts** – lets Taylor read the surface thoughts of people around her? Or is it just a form of super-effective cold reading? Taylor isn't sure. Requires concentration.

 **Level 3 Spells**

· **Major Image** – allows Taylor to create an incredibly realistic illusion no larger than a 20 foot cube. These illusions can move and seem completely real, and even sounds and smells real. These illusions can even generate heat or chill, but not enough to cause bodily harm. Physical interaction with the illusion reveals it to be just an illusion though. Requires concentration.

· **Fly** – Taylor or a person Taylor touches gains the ability to fly for a short duration. Requires concentration.

 **Other Abilities**

· **Song of Rest** – Taylor can imbue her voice with her power, and people who are resting while listening to her sing regain health more quickly than normal.


	13. Crescendo 3-2

**Crescendo – 3.2**

March 14th, 2011

I stared at myself nervously in the mirror as I tried to prepare myself for what was to come. I fought Lung for God's sake. I shouldn't be terrified of going to a school and being around other teenagers.

Two months of not having to deal with my petty bullies was blissful, even if it was pretty lonely most of the time. I mean, it wasn't like I didn't have any friends though. Sure, I never met Insight in person, but internet friends count too right? I considered Vicky a friend, even if she didn't know my real name. Despite my attempts to get to know Panacea better, we hadn't really hit it off. At least I had Parian as a friend now. We even unmasked to each other. She was a bit older than me, so I hoped she wouldn't be put off by the age difference.

The past few weeks had been a comfortable routine. Volunteer at the hospital, do my workouts, attend my martial arts classes, and heal clients for Calle. I couldn't spend too much of the money I was earning without garnering suspicion, but I did go to the mall one day while I was bored and tried to act like a normal teenager. In a moment of weakness, I even bought some clothes and makeup.

It was a great solace to me that nobody at Arcadia would know the old me. At Arcadia, I wouldn't be the loser who got stuffed into a locker full of bloody tampons and had a nervous breakdown. It was a fresh start. I idly wondered what Winslow had been like the last two months. Did the school keep a closer eye on the trio now that they cost them so much money? Or was it business as usual for them. I wondered if they had picked someone new to torment now that I was gone. Maybe Doreen, a rather mousy girl with large buck teeth. Had my presence been some kind of lightning rod that prevented other less popular kids from getting picked on?

Getting up at 6 AM to get my morning run in had sucked. I worked hard the past two months to get into shape though, and I didn't want to give that up just because I was starting school now. Plus I wanted to burn off some excess nervous energy. Hopefully it'll get easier, because I was committed to my exercise routine now.

I had spent several hours the night before looking on Youtube looking up make-up tutorials on my new laptop that Quinn helped me acquire. The laptop and encrypted sim card was expensive, but it was well worth it to be able to the browse the internet privately at home. I still wasn't very confident with using the new makeup I had bought, so I settled for some simple lip gloss, blush, and some eyeliner and mascara.

I had decided to wear my new red polka dotted dress, which was nicer than just about all of my old clothes. A pair of tights underneath and one of my mom's cardigans completed my outfit. All in all, I didn't think I looked too bad. I mustered up as much confidence as I could, and went downstairs to start my day.

Dad was already in the kitchen, reading a newspaper, the Brockton Bay Herald, at our dining table. He had made breakfast already, which was never a good sign. He looked up and did a double take when I entered the kitchen. He's my dad. Surely he was going to compliment me on how pretty I look.

"Hey Taylor, you want some bacon?" He asked.

Or not. Well, that was a blow to my self-esteem. At least there was bacon, which was probably the only edible thing Dad could cook. I forced myself to eat some of the overcooked eggs and bacon that Dad had made, while we made small talk.

"How are the eggs?" Dad asked, with a goofy grin on his face. He looked pretty proud of his handiwork.

"Better than your last attempt." I replied diplomatically. I wasn't even lying. It's not hard to improve upon a disaster.

Dad snorted at my reply. "Yeah yeah. Are you ready for your first day?"

I shrugged. "As ready as I'll ever be. Anything interesting in the papers?"

Dad handed me the front page of the paper in response. "Mostly stories about the attack on the Boardwalk. You managed to make it into the paper."

The front page story had a large picture of a destroyed store front front and center, but there was some smaller photos within the story. Someone had managed to snap a photo of me hovering in midair above the boardwalk, and it looked pretty awesome. I was definitely going to save this picture. Maybe I can start some kind of superhero scrap book.

I idly perused through the paper as I ate my breakfast. Lung's rampage had caused several hundred thousand dollars worth of property damage, not to mention the amount of lost revenue that would surely follow.

The other major story, which was pushed to page two, was that the Protectorate had managed to apprehend and arrest a villain that was hiding out near Burlingame State Park. Details were still scarce, but apparently a parahuman had been harassing the tourists who were there over some kind of eco-preservation agenda. It should've been a PR win for the Protectorate, but since it happened at the same time as Lung's rampage, they were instead being criticized for their inadequate response.

"Ready to go?" Dad asked, as we finished our breakfast.

Arcadia was a bit farther from our house from Winslow, and their school buses didn't even stop in our neighborhood. Still, it was a small price to pay to go to the best public school in Brockton Bay. "I'm fine just taking the public bus, Dad. You don't need to drive me."

"Nonsense. It's your first day. You can take the bus tomorrow, but you're stuck with me today."

We arrived at Arcadia early enough that the school was mostly deserted.

"Well, this feels nostalgic." Dad said, as we got out of the car. "My baby daughter all grown up and going to school."

I rolled my eyes. "Very funny."

"It's my right as a father to make these types of comments." He responded. "I won't get many of these kinds of days left, you know. Now Taylor, you remember what to do if you see a kidnapping?"

"What are you talking about, Dad?"

"You better wake him up so he doesn't miss class!" Dad said, chuckling at his own joke.

I didn't try to hide my groan. "Oh my god, please no 'dad jokes' when we get inside." Inwardly, I had to begrudgingly give him some points for that one. It was also good to see him a bit less mopey.

Dad shrugged a little. "Taylor, I know the past few months have been tough on you, but this is a great opportunity for you. Arcadia is a wonderful school, and I want you to take it seriously. I know you have a lot of… other stuff going on in your life right now, but you've got your Mom's brains. If you work hard here, you can go anywhere you want for college."

"I know, I'm looking forward to actually learning something in school for a change. But you know I want to go to Brockton Bay U."

"And I'd love to have you so close by, but with the settlement, we can send you anywhere you want to go. You don't have to stay here." Dad replied.

I frowned, but chose not to respond. I know most kids didn't want to stick around their hometown after high school, but Brockton Bay University was where Mom had taught. I used to visit her and kept her company when she was grading papers in her office, and we often had picnics together on the campus quad. It was a connection I wasn't willing to give up yet.

Arcadia certainly looked imposing from the outside. It was an H-shaped building made of red bricks that stood four stories tall. Unlike Winslow, the grounds and appearance of the school was immaculate.

There weren't any metal detectors at the front entrance, but I did spy high-tech security scanners as we walked in. Most students probably just thought they were regular security cameras, but I recognized them as they looked similar to the security scanners used in Calle's office. I didn't know if they could detect me through my invisibility, so I made a mental note not to test it out that way.

We made our way to the registrar's office where I picked up my schedule and signed a bunch of forms with my Dad to complete my enrollment. My relatively poor grades at Winslow meant that I wasn't able to take any of the Honors classes, but if I did well on finals this year, I could take advanced placement classes my junior year. Without the trio ruining my schoolwork, I was actually pretty confident in my abilities. Unlike Winslow, Arcadia had a full selection of AP classes here, including AP Computer Science, which was what I was most interested in. Arcadia also had a variety of art electives. I was tempted to choose choir, but I didn't want to give any clues. Instead, I settled for pottery.

Dad squeezed me into a tight hug, and then he was off to work, leaving me to brave the halls of Arcadia alone.

My first few classes passed by in a blur as I was introduced to dozens of new faces. After a while, I simply gave up trying to memorize every new name. The students so far had been polite, if not downright friendly. New students transferring in during the middle of the school year was rare at Arcadia, so I was a bit of an oddity. I wasn't naive enough to believe that there wasn't any form of bullying here, but the teachers here radiated authority and competence in a way that was sorely missing at Winslow. I guess not having to worry about getting shanked by your students helped contribute to that. I was still most comfortable keeping to myself though, and ended up sitting near the back in each of my classes.

Soon enough, the day was half over and I was on my way to the cafeteria for lunch. I was quite proud of myself for doing an adequate impersonation of a normal teenager so far. I rounded a corner and almost bumped into a familiar face.

I stared in shock at Victoria Dallon. Obviously I knew that she attended Arcadia, but I hadn't planned on befriending her in my civilian guise. "Excuse me," I muttered, and tried to step past her.

"Wait!" She called out, and blocked my escape route easily.

She grinned at me, as her eyes roved up and down my body. Was she checking me out? Wait, oh my god. I was wearing the dress that Vicky had picked out for me less than two weeks ago. There's no way that she wouldn't recognize me. This seems like something that I should have been able to foresee. I stood there paralyzed as we stared at each other.

"Hey there," She said after a few seconds, with a smug smile on her face. "You're the new girl, right?"

"Uhh, yeah. I'm Taylor." I responded.

"Cute outfit, Taylor." Vicky said, with a wink. Real discrete there. "I think we're going to get along great. Come on, I'll take you to the cafeteria and introduce you to some of my friends."

With that, she wrapped an arm around my shoulder and started dragging me with her. It was pretty clear that her invitation was not optional. I sighed and resigned myself to my fate.

"Hey everyone! I found the new girl." Vicky said brightly as she hauled me alongside her to a table where a group of girls sat.

Amy glanced at me blankly. "The poor girl looks terrified of you, Vicky. You didn't drag her here against her will, did you?"

"Don't be silly," Vicky said. "Taylor and I are going to be great friends, I can tell already. Introductions! This is my sister Amy of course, and here we have Veronica, Jenny, and Helen."

I gave a small wave to the girls sitting at the table. Besides Amy, they all looked like what I would expect from Vicky's friends. Fashionable clothes and pretty faces. These were undoubtedly the popular girls of their grade. Amy looked a little out of place at the table. She sat off to the side a little, and she had a novel out that she was reading while she ate her lunch.

"Where did you transfer in from?" Veronica asked. Wait, no, that was Helen.

"I was home-schooled for a while, and before that I was at Winslow." I replied.

"Ha!" Vicky snorted. "We kick their asses in football every year."

I shrugged. "Never really cared about the sports teams. School spirit wasn't a big thing there." There were always bigger things to be concerned about, such as avoiding the junior gangbangers and bullies. The fact that Sophia was a star athlete had undoubtedly soured me on the concept as well.

"Well you look like you're in pretty good shape. Do you play any sports?" One of Vicky's friends, I think Jenny, asked.

"Uhh, not really. I like to run, and I have some experience with… gymnastics." I said.

"Ooh, maybe you can join the track team next year then." Jenny suggested. "Or you can try out for the cheer team! They could probably use more tumblers."

Vicky smirked at me. Parahumans weren't allowed to compete in competitive sports with normals. Way too much of an unfair advantage. Besides, I definitely didn't want to do anything that might put me in contact with Sophia.

"Ah, yeah maybe." I said. "That's a pretty long ways off though."

"I was on the basketball team, before I got my powers." Vicky added. She sighed dramatically. "I still miss it all the time. It sucks that they banned me from playing."

"I don't think it'd be too fair for the other girls out there otherwise, Vicky." One of her friends spoke up.

"Besides, you weren't really that good before you got your powers." Another chimed in.

"Wha-?" Vicky huffed indignantly. "I was awesome!"

"Hmm, have you ever thought about playing Power Ball?" I suggested. Of the various parahuman sports that have emerged over the past few decades, Power Ball was the most popular in North America. It still wasn't as popular or lucrative as the NBA or NFL, but it had a pretty dedicated following, especially among cape fanatics. The sport was kind of infamous for its groupie culture, actually.

"I'd be good at it, right?" Vicky asked with a large grin on her face. "I could play both the flyer and the brute positions."

"We're heroes, not rogues." Amy spoke up for the first time.

The rest of the table quieted down at Amy's statement.

Vicky rolled her eyes. "It's just a game, Ames. I think it'd be fun."

Amy shrugged a bit. "Mom would never let you play."

"Ugh, I know. She won't even let us go watch the Boston Minutemen play." Vicky whined dejectedly.

Jenny cleared her throat. "Anyways, Taylor, are you a cape groupie?"

"What? No, not really. But parahumans are an important facet of our culture. It's important that we're cognizant of how they affect our everyday lives and the issues they pose."

The rest of the table stared at me blankly. Shit, was that too nerdy?

Vicky chose to simply move on. "Let me see your schedule, Taylor." Vicky asked, with her hand held out to me.

I reached into my backpack and handed her my schedule.

"You're a sophomore?" Vicky asked, while she perused through my schedule.

I nodded in assent.

"That's cool, the rest of us are all juniors." Vicky added. "Ooh, we have pottery class together! We can head over together after lunch."

"You're in Beginner Pottery?" I asked.

"Heheh, yeah. I took drama first year, but it wasn't really for me. Sophomore year I tried painting, but it was sooo boring." Vicky explained.

"You mean you sucked at it." One of her friends, either Jenny or Helen, muttered.

"Hard to imagine that drama class wasn't a perfect fit for you." Someone else chimed in, earning a round of laughter from everyone at the table.

"Shut it!" Vicky exclaimed, with a pout on her face. "Anyways, pottery is pretty fun. I think I'll even move on to the next class senior year instead of trying something new."

"Heh, whatever." Veronica (or was it Stacy?) chimed in. "You just like pottery because it's a total blow off class. Mr. Hanlen gives everyone in it at least an A-."

Vicky chuckled in response. "Yup, that's definitely a big plus. The class is totally chill. Mr. Hanlen's only rule in class is no Ghosting."

"What's Ghosting?" I asked, which elicited a groan from the rest of the table.

Vicky leaned in close to me and whispered huskily into my ear. "Hmm, don't worry, I'll show you later when we're all alone."

"N-no thanks!" I managed to stammer out, as I felt my face turn beet red. The rest of the table dissolved into a fit of giggles. Well, except for Amy, who was glaring at me now. Yikes.

* * *

After a long first day at school including a surprisingly fun pottery class, I was on my way home via Brockton Bay's public bus system. Arcadia was a fair bit farther from home than Winslow was, and taking the bus was much slower than having my Dad drive me. Maybe I should start bringing my costume to school so I could find somewhere to change and simply fly home. I'd want to get a backpack with a hidden compartment in it or something just to be safe. Something to consider. At least the buses were relatively safe here. I was definitely going to take up Dad's offer to buy me a car for my sixteenth birthday.

I got off at the bus stop a few blocks away from my house, and started walking back. Today had gone about as well as I could have expected. Everybody at Arcadia had been pretty friendly. It was such a relief not being the loser loner that was picked on. Accidentally outing myself to Vicky was… a minor blunder. I didn't feel too bad about it though. At least it made our friendship feel more real now that she knew who I was.

As I approached my house, I noticed a petite girl in what looked like a Catholic schoolgirl uniform standing in front of our front door.

"Can I help you?" I asked.

The girl spun around, and I gasped in shock. What the hell was Madison Clements doing at my house?

"T-Taylor?" She stuttered out, as she stared at me with wide eyes. "Wow, you look amazing!"

"What the hell are you doing here?" I hissed at her. I guess I didn't quite hate Madison as much as Emma or Sophia, but she was near the top of my list of people I would go Carrie on.

Madison flinched a little at the vehemence of my voice, but she tried to soldier on. "I know I'm probably one of the last people you want to see, but I'm here to apologize."

I scoffed at her reply. "You really expect me to believe that?" Wait, I didn't need to rely on my intuition for this. With a tug of my power, I activated my thought detection power. It wouldn't last long, but it would be enough.

"I know you don't have any reason to believe me and even less to forgive me, but please hear me out. I did a lot of soul searching these past few months, and I'm not the same person I was at Winslow anymore." _Genuinely remorseful_.

That surprised me. I glanced down at the uniform she was wearing, causing Madison to chuckle sheepishly.

"Yeah, my parents pulled me out of Winslow when the investigation started happening. I go to Immaculata now. They wanted to get me away from bad influences and the toxic environment. Taylor… I wasn't part of the locker prank." _Wasn't directly involved, but knew about it ahead of time. Thought the prank was too disgusting._

"You knew about it." I said flatly.

"Y-yes I did, and I'm so sorry I didn't try to stop it, or let you out after Sophia shoved you in there."

I didn't know how to feel at the moment. I had held onto my anger and hate for so long, that I didn't know how to react to Madison standing here in front of me, trying to apologize. It would've been so much easier to just keep hating her and thinking of her as the heinous bitch who made the last year and a half of my life such a hell.

"Why now?" I asked.

"Well, I wanted to apologize earlier, but with the lawsuit going on, I was told not to contact you. I actually stopped by a few times over the last two weeks, but you were never home. Even if you never forgive me, I just want you to know how sorry I am over how I treated you. I wouldn't blame you if you wanted to punch me in the face-"

I perked up at the last bit, which Madison definitely noticed.

"But I'd prefer if you didn't!" She finished quickly, with her voice taking a slightly higher pitch.

I stared at her hard for a few seconds, and inwardly took a little bit of pleasure watching her squirm. I sighed. "I'm not going to punch you in the face. Just… why… why me? What was it about me that made you go out of your way to be such a bitch." I asked.

Madison fidgeted a bit in a nervous fashion. "There wasn't a good reason or anything. I don't think there's anything I can tell you that will make you feel better."

"Tell me." I said, sending her an angry glare for good measure.

Madison sighed as she twirled a lock of her hair. "I'm not trying to make excuses are anything, but it was just so easy. You didn't even try to fit in."

"So what?" I responded, with a hint of anger in my voice. "If I wore pretty dresses or makeup, you would've left me alone?"

"I don't know. I think Sophia and Emma would've gone after you anyways. They really hated you. I never hated you. I just sorta… tagged along because they were popular and I wanted to be popular too. It's not like the teachers didn't know what we were doing. Mr. Gladly's kind of an airhead, but he knew what was going on. When nobody said or did anything to stop us, it was like validation. That this was just how the world works. But I'm not trying to make excuses or blame others. I was a bad person, and I don't want to be that person anymore. When my parents found out about what was going on, they were so angry and disappointed in me. I think it was the first time I really realized that what we were doing was really wrong."

I sighed again. I was still angry, but… my power was telling me that everything Madison was saying was truthful. When Emma first started bullying me, I dreamed of her throwing herself at me and begging for forgiveness. In those daydreams, I would always magnanimously forgive her and take her back. Somewhere along the way, those daydreams had changed to cathartic revenge fantasies. It was so much easier to hate than it was to forgive.

"What do you want from me?" I asked. "To say I forgive you, so you can go on living your life without feeling guilty?"

"I… I think I'd still feel guilty whether or not you forgive me." Madison said. "I'm not here just for that. I thought that maybe we could… I don't know. Hang out, get to actually know each other?"

"Are you serious?" I asked incredulously.

"I bullied you, and I don't even really know you as a person. I don't think I could have done and said all those horrible things to somebody I actually know. I don't know what I was expecting, but I guess I was hoping for a fresh start." Madison replied. "And I guess I wanted you to see that I'm not the Madison that you knew from Winslow anymore."

"Emma knew me well, and she didn't have a problem being a huge bitch to me." I responded.

Madison gave a halfhearted shrug. "Emma and Sophia are kinda psychopathic. I never really noticed when I was in their circle, but I think I'm lucky that my parents got me out of there and away from them. I haven't talked to either of them since transferring to Immaculata."

Madison fidgeted a bit as I stood there silently. I really didn't know what I wanted to do. Forgiving her seemed like the right thing to do. I was willing to give even Purity a second chance, and shook hands with her just a few days ago. I told Insight that I thought everyone deserved a second chance. It's not like Madison did anything that was nearly as bad as what Purity had done. Madison at least was never a Nazi. But Purity had never hurt me personally. When I laid it out like that, my issues seemed so petty in comparison.

After a poignant pause, I finally spoke up. "I don't know if I'm ready to forgive you, Madison. But I think I want to. I don't want to hold onto all this bitterness and anger."

Madison flashed me a smile and took out a piece of paper and scribbled something onto it. "That's really cool of you. Here's my cellphone number. If you ever want to talk again, please text or call me. For what it's worth, you do look really good. You go to Arcadia now, right? I'm glad to see you're doing better now. You didn't deserve any of the shit we put you through."

Madison smiled at me again, and started walking away towards the nearest bus stop. I stared at her retreating form for a few seconds before I went inside my house. It had been an emotionally draining day, and I was ready for it to be over.


	14. Crescendo 3-3

**Crescendo – 3.3**

March 16th, 2011

"Mr. Calle will see you now." The pretty receptionist said to me.

I smiled at her and walked through to Quinn's office. He looked as immaculate as ever, with his expensive three piece European suit and slicked-back hair.

"Just out of curiosity, how long does it take to get your hair picture perfect every morning?" I asked.

Quinn rolled his eyes and snorted. "Hello to you too, Nightingale. And I'd be willing to bet that I spend less time getting ready in the mornings than you do with your hair and makeup."

"I didn't even start wearing make up until very recently." I grumbled.

"Then I guess you managed to figure out at a young enough age that despite what the Lifetime channel tries to teach us, that appearances matter very much in the real world."

"Great life lessons you're imparting to an impressionable teenager here, Mr. Calle. Anyways, how many clients do we have today?" I asked.

"Just one, but he won't be here for another hour. We have a lot of things to go over today in the meantime. To start with, take a look at this." Quinn spun the laptop he had on his desk around to show me what he had on the screen. "Your website is finished and ready to go live!"

Huh, that was actually pretty cool. I sat down and started poking around on the site. It looked very professional, and I was glad to see it wasn't filled with glitter and pink like Quinn had threatened.

"Where did you get all these pictures of me?" I asked. The gallery section of the website had a number of pictures of me out in costume. They were mostly pictures of me volunteering at the hospital, but there were a few from my trips out to the Boardwalk and even a couple of photos taken with a long telephoto lenses while I was flying.

"Paparazzi. We just pay the photographers directly for the rights for the better photos so it ends up with us instead of one of the trashy tabloids."

It was kind of creepy that there were photographers snapping pictures of me when I wasn't even aware, but I guess it came with the territory of being a famous cape.

"Why is there a donations page?" I asked. I had plenty of money. It seemed wrong to accept donations.

"Ah, it's not for you to keep." Quinn explained. "There's big disclaimers saying that all net proceeds will go to charities of your choice. There's a list of a few good local ones I've picked out, and you'll pick a few that you want to support. It's a good way to get the community and your fans involved."

"Hmm, I didn't even think of that. I knew there was a reason I kept you around." I replied.

"The reason I keep you around is for the money." He replied, with a roguish grin to let me know he was only joking.. "Just thought you should know."

I rolled my eyes and returned to browsing the site. I briefly browsed through the merchandising section, which had some t-shirts and hoodies with my insignia on it. Figurines and dolls were apparently coming soon as well. I didn't think I was popular enough to warrant all this, but Quinn apparently had big plans for me. The website even had a blog on it. Wait, why was there a blog? I clicked on it, and saw that there was a lengthy first post that I clearly did not remember writing.

"Why is there a blog, and who's pretending to be me here?" I asked.

Quinn chuckled in response. "Katy, one of the interns here, will be maintaining your blog."

"What? Why do I need to have a blog. I don't remember saying I'd be OK with having someone impersonate me on the internet like this."

"You need a way to get your ideals and message out to your fans and the rest of the world. You said you didn't want to deal with a lot of the lower level PR stuff, so Katy is here to fill in for you. I can fire Katy if you want. She's a scholarship student at BBU and she needs this job to take care of her orphaned little sister, but hey, the client is the boss."

I glared at Quinn, who was looking rather smug at the moment. "I'm not that easy to manipulate."

"I'm not trying to manipulate you. That was just a joke." Quinn responded, with a sigh. "Look, Katy's not just making random stuff up here. Everything in that first post is based off of what you told me about what you want to accomplish and what your philosophies are. You'll have full approval of every blog post, and I want you to work with her so that she'll know what you want to say to the public each week. They'll still be your words and ideas, it's just that someone else will do the hard and time-consuming part of actually putting it down onto paper."

That… made is sound more appealing. I guess Quinn had a point, but it just seemed weird to have someone write for me like that.

Quinn continued speaking. "If you want, you can write these blog posts yourself, but there's nothing wrong with having someone else give you a hand with it. Most celebrities have help with this kind of stuff. Hell, even the President of the United States uses speech writers."

"Fine." I said, giving up the fight for now. "I definitely want to approve every post before it goes live. This first post looks good." It was mostly a rehash of things I had told Quinn before, about how I wanted to help the city and use my powers for the good of the common folk. I had to admit I was a little impressed with the work that Quinn had done so far. Our relationship wasn't a typical lawyer-client relationship. He was not just my lawyer, but also my business partner, manager, and PR representative. Hell, I even considered him to be a friend.

Quinn smiled at me. "Perfect! Unless you have any objections, the website will go live tonight then. Moving on, you received an offer for a record deal from Atlantis Records. I imagine that they're trying to sign you before you get even more popular and famous. They definitely lowballed the offer. If it's something you're actually interested in, we can negotiate a much better deal."

I stared at Quinn, flabbergasted. "I… don't know. I never imagined this happening before. What do you think about it?"

Quinn shrugged at me. "Do it if you think it sounds fun. Compensation wise, I don't think you'll earn more than what you're making now as a healer, unless you make it really big. Which may be a bad thing if it draws you the attention of the Elite. The other thing you have to consider is the ongoing trial of Canary."

I gulped. Canary's trial was even more reason why I had vowed not to take a master power that could affect humans. I had discovered some that seemed useful, but I hadn't felt the need to break my rule yet. When I picked my name and insignia, Canary hadn't been such a polarizing figure at the time. Now, I was wary of drawing even more attention to our similarities. It did sound like it'd be fun to perform for a larger audience though.

"Let me think about it and get back to you?" I replied.

"Sure, take your time. Along the same line, you've been asked by the City Council to do a PR event. The city's worried that Lung's recent attack on the Boardwalk could have longer term negative repercussions on the economic health of that area, so they're trying to promote a mini-festival of some sort the weekend after the next at the Boardwalk. Music, food, fireworks, fun stuff for the whole family. Parian has already agreed to be there."

"That sounds fine. I take it you think I should do it?" I asked.

"Yes. It's a good opportunity to earn some political capital, and it's a good cause. They'll be leaning pretty heavily on the PRT to provide security, so you should expect at least some of the Wards to be there, and probably at least one or two Protectorate heroes as well."

I nodded. I felt better about it knowing that Sabah would be there. "Sure, sign me up for it."

"Excellent, they want you to perform a few songs. It can be either covers or original music, but you'll have to let them know what kind of set up you want. And you also have to keep it family friendly. There will be kids there."

Kid friendly, huh? I guess that rules out the ballad I wrote about the red-haired princess who got syphilis and then fell off of a cliff. It was probably my finest work. Maybe if I could find a suitable euphemism? "That won't be a problem." I said confidently to Quinn.

"Alright, that's about it for the business part. I'm still working on some of the big picture stuff we've talked about, but I should have something for you next week. Now for something fun!" Quinn said, with a wide grin on his face. "I was able to get in contact with Toybox, and I have you setup for a private online shopping session."

Quinn tapped away at his laptop for a bit, and then turned it to face me again. I eagerly took the laptop and started browsing.

Let's see what we have here on the front page. The world's fastest gaming laptop with a quantum CPU, a virtual reality gaming system, a life size robot Chewbacca with Virtual Intelligence programming, a 200 MPH Tron replica light cycle… what the hell?

"Wh-why is it all toys?" I asked.

"Taylor…" Quinn chided gently. "It's called the _Toybox_. Of course they sell toys. What were you expecting?"

"I-I don't know, like a black market tinkertech weapons dealer or something like that? Certainly not SkyMall for rich weirdos!" I exclaimed, suddenly feeling foolish.

"If there were a group of tinkers selling illegal tinkertech weapons to _criminals_ , the Protectorate would hunt them down relentlessly." Quinn said. "The Toybox mostly sells unique and very expensive toys to eccentric millionaires and rich kids. Selling illegal weapons is more along the lines of what the Elite does. That said… you can probably find _some_ items that skirt the boundaries of illegality that you seem to be looking for."

Oh god, is that what I was now? A rich kid? I pushed that thought away and dived deeper through the storefront. Let's see, tinkertech hunting supplies and personal security. That seemed more promising. There was a collapsible compound bow that folded down to a much smaller size. The folding mechanism was derived from tinkertech, and apparently wouldn't require too much maintenance. The site even sold taser arrows. That was something I would've loved to have before I got my shiny new blaster power. I tentatively added it to my 'maybe' list.

Besides the compound bow, there was nothing here I was really inter- wait, is that a Lightsaber? I clicked on it. The advert read:

"Ever dreamed of owning your own LightsaberTM? Now's your chance to live out your Jedi fantasies! Acquire your very own hard light baton/beam sword combination device today! Three hard light settings: B (Baton), S (Sword/Sharp), and SS (Super Sharp). Available in your choice of five different colors, and comes with a quick release holster and a charging dock. Bimonthly maintenance free for one year when you purchase today! Only $125,000. Free shipping!"

"H-how much money do I have?" I asked Quinn.

He peeked over my shoulder to see what I was looking at and snorted. "You have more than enough for that. Go ahead and treat yourself, kid. You deserve it."

It seemed like an obscene amount of money to spend on a fancy baton, but it would help me be a better hero! That's how I was rationalizing it at least. I added the hard light baton and the bow to my shopping cart, along with a quiver of taser arrows and regular arrows to my order. It was a lot of money, but I would be able to earn it all back quickly enough.

* * *

"Taylor, I'm home!" Dad's voice called out from the front of our house.

"I'm in the kitchen!" I yelled back.

Dad walked in and ruffled my hair a bit before I managed to shove him away.

"That smells good." Dad said in response to my glare. "What are you making?"

"Pork chops and Brussels sprouts." I responded.

"Ooh, my favorite. Are you trying to butter me up for something?" Dad said lightheartedly.

Wow, he figured that out quickly.

Dad was frowning now. "Are you?"

"Uhh, of course not Dad." I said in my most convincing voice. "By the way, is it OK if I have a sleepover at a new friend's house this Friday?"

Dad smiled widely upon hearing that. "Of course Taylor. I'm glad to hear you're making new friends. Who is it?"

"My new friend Vicky. She goes to Arcadia." I replied.

Dad stopped smiling, and his eyes narrowed. "Would that be Victoria Dallon?" He asked.

"Uhh… yup."

"And what will the two of you be doing?" He asked, in a low and flat voice.

"Umm, you know, girl stuff. Painting our nails, braiding each others hair, maybe taking down some criminals."

Dad sighed as he took his glasses off and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Taylor, this isn't funny!"

"We're not going to do anything too dangerous, I swear." I responded.

"You guys fought Lung last week!" Dad replied heatedly, his voice raising a few levels.

"You know that wasn't by choice." I responded in a small voice. "And I'm being serious. We're just going to patrol a bit from the air. We'll be sticking to areas that are relatively safe, and we'll be able to watch each others backs. It's much safer than going out by myself."

"I'd rather you not go out looking for trouble at all." Dad said, with a resigned look.

"Dad… you can't ask me not to be a hero. You know how much this means to me."

Dad looked miserable as he sighed heavily. "I want hourly updates while you're out, even if it's just a text."

I gave him a small smile. "Sure, I can do that Dad."

I pulled the pork chops out of the oven and finished plating our food. Dinner was a silent affair, and I retired to my room quickly afterward. I knew he was unhappy, but I didn't know how to make things better without giving up on hero work.


	15. Crescendo 3-4

**Crescendo 3.4**

March 18th, 2011

I was nervous as I walked towards the Dallon house in my Nightingale outfit. It had been over a year since I had visited a friend at her house. The Dallons lived in one of the many McMansions in the nicer part of town. The houses in their neighborhood were all of fairly new construction, with perfectly trimmed lawns and immaculate paint jobs. Bah, I wasn't too impressed. My neighborhood had character. And crime. But mostly character.

Vicky answered the door with a bright smile. "Welcome to Casa Dallon! Come on in."

I followed Vicky into the foyer of her house. Her house was decorated tastefully, with very modern furniture and classy photography dotting the walls. It looked like it could have been transplanted from an Ikea showroom.

"Come on, I'll introduce you to my dad." Vicky said cheerfully as I followed her deeper into her house and into the kitchen.

Mark Dallon, or Flashbang as he was better known, was a large man with peppery gray hair.  
He was busy chopping away at some vegetables, but he looked up and greeted us with a small smile. "Hello, it's nice to meet you, Nightingale."

I had a mild panic attack upon seeing a father figure cooking in the kitchen, but I managed to quickly convince myself that there was no way that he could be as bad as my dad. "Thanks for having me over, Mr. Dallon."

I felt a bit awkward that I had shown up to their house while masked, but Vicky had insisted it would be acceptable. The Dallons were probably trustworthy people, but I didn't feel ready to unmask in front of so many new people. I felt a little bad about not unmasking to Amy though.

"I'm still getting dinner ready, so why don't you show your friend your room, Victoria." Mr. Dallon suggested.

"Sure Dad." Vicky replied, as she tugged on my arm. "C'mon, Amy's upstairs too."

Vicky led me upstairs and to her bedroom, grabbing Amy along the way. Vicky's room was more understated than I expected. It was decorated in a light color palette, and she had her own en suite and a large flat screen TV facing her bed. I immediately addedone of those on my to-buy list.

"That was a birthday present from my folks last year." Vicky said, after noticing me looking at her TV. Wow, expensive looking TVs and BMW convertibles. I wasn't jealous at all of the birthday presents the Dallon kids got. Whatever, I was getting a lightsaber.

"Your room is nice." I commented.

"Yup, want to Netflix and chill?" Vicky asked, waggling her eyebrows.

"Umm, sure. What do you like to watch?" I replied. Amy sighed deeply in the background. I guess she was more of a books person. Vicky just giggled and patted me on the head.

The three of us ended up hanging out in Vicky's room until dinnertime, and we chatted away the time on the most inane subjects. It was disturbingly normal, except I was wearing a masked costume

Carol Dallon ended up having to work late, so dinner was just the four of us. The media had taken to calling Lady Photon by the nickname 'Photon Mom,' and Carol Dallon had managed to avoid any similarly lame nicknames. She always came across as intimidating whenever I saw her on TV. Hell, I was scared of her too. Mark Dallon seemed nice, but surprisingly subdued for someone who's cape name was 'Flashbang.' He was also a decent cook.

I was antsy to get out and start patrolling, but Vicky insisted that we wait for her 'surprise.' Instead we sat around in costume and kept watching TV. It didn't feel very heroic. At around 10 PM, the doorbell rang and Vicky leapt to her feet.

"Ooh, that should be Crystal. I managed to convince her to take a break from all that college partying and go patrolling with us." Vicky said excitedly.

Crystal Pelham walked in moments later carrying a small duffel bag. She was just as beautiful in person as she was in pictures I had seen online. She had a pretty, heart shaped face and was dressed simply in a pink hoodie and running shorts, which really showed off her long, toned legs. Geez, the genes in this family are insanely good.

"Hey Crystal, look what I found!" Vicky said, as she shoved me forward.

"Why, if it isn't my long lost cousin!" Crystal said, chuckling as she greeted me.

"Oh, I'm sorry about that." I apologized, feeling mortified.

"Hey, it's not your fault. You're still pretty new to this, but you'll eventually learn to ignore the stupid internet comments." Crystal said, with a gentle smile. "It is nice to finally meet you. Victoria's told me a lot about you."

I tried and failed not to blush at her kind words. Crystal was so nice. She looked so much like Vicky, but she exuded a sense of maturity in contrast to Vicky's playfulness.

"I tried to get Eric to come with me tonight, but he's off on a date with _another_ new girl." Crystal said, rolling her eyes.

"Eric's living proof that being a superhero gets you dates, no matter how dorky you are." Vicky said. "But stop trying to deflect. You're late!"

"Yeah, yeah. Let me get changed and then we can go." Crystal said, and disappeared into the bathroom with her duffel bag.

"Oh my god, you were totally checking out Crystal!" Vicky exclaimed, as soon as Crystal was out of earshot.

"What? No I wasn't!" I squeaked out. I could feel my face turning beet red.

Vicky sniffled dramatically. "It's not enough that you have me, but you have to go after my older and bustier cousin too?"

"She's not bustier than you." I blurted out. Crap.

Vicky smirked at me. "Oh? So you _have_ been checking us out."

I groaned loudly and decided to ignore Vicky.

"Despite those PHO rumors a while back, I'm pretty sure Crystal is 100% straight." Vicky continued on, her smile growing moreand more smug with each passing second. "But she _is_ a college girl. Maybe she'd be open for some experimentation. I'll ask her for you."

I glared at her and kept silent. I liked Vicky, but sometimes I really wanted to punch her in her perfect face. On second thought, I was more likely to hurt myself than her if I ever did.

I was saved from more teasing by Crystal reappearing in her Laserdream costume. Her costume was fairly simple: it was a white bodysuit with stylish red and pink comets streaking across the body. The suit hugged her body tightly and left little to the imagination. I definitely couldn't pull off something like that with my non-existent curves. I averted my eyes quickly when I realized I was staring, but Vicky was smirking again.

"Ready to go?" Laserdream asked as we went outside to the Dallon's backyard.

I nodded, and Vicky swooped me up effortlessly in a bridal carry. I was getting used to this, which was good I guess because she refused to carry me any other way.

"Huh..." Laserdream commented. "I thought you could fly, Nightingale."

"She just likes being carried like this." Vicky piped up, very unhelpfully. "You know, the whole blushing bride fantasy. We're wearing white too"

"No!" I yelled out. I could feel my face turning red again. Hanging around Vicky was definitely bad for my blood pressure. "My flight is a bit… limited. Anyways, I'm not as fast as the two of you in the air, so this will be quicker."

Laserdream chuckled as we started flying towards downtown. "Alright, whatever you say." She said.

"Let's start our patrol near the eastern edge of Empire territory. Here's a quick primer on the territories." Glory Girl said. "The E88 controls most of the nicer downtown areas, and Coil's group controls the south part of downtown and some of the areas near there. You're actually pretty unlikely to find any street level crime at nights in those area, since a big part of the Empire's MO is that they provide safety and protection for those in their territory."

"How do they make money then?" I asked. I had already heard a lot of this stuff doing research online and talking to Insight, but it was nice to get another perspective.

"Most of the bars and clubs in this area pay protection money to the E88." Laserdream chimed in. "They sell drugs too, except instead of street pushers selling crack like the Merchants, they sell more high end drugs to rich kids and bankers. They probablyhave fewer drug clients than the ABB or the Merchants, but much higher profits per client. There's more sophisticated schemes too, like gambling, racketeering, real estate fraud. Pretty much anything you can think of. They control a lot of of the nicer areas of town, and a lot of people don't really mind living in Empire territory even if they aren't racist."

I frowned. It seemed cowardly that there were so many in Brockton Bay who were willing to accept the E88 just because it wasconvenient. Their ideology was so deplorable, but I guess pleasant ideology was a luxury to have when people were struggling to provide food and safety for their families.

"They still have plenty of non-powered thugs though," Vicky added, "but they mostly operate on the edges of their territory and thepoorer neighborhoods that they control. The Merchants are on the other side of the spectrum. They control the poorer areas in the north side of town and some parts of the Docks area. Their primary source of income is their drug business. Weed, bath salts, low quality crack and meth, and other disgusting stuff like that. They also-"

"Down there," Laserdream interrupted as she pointed towards a group of people far below us.

We were fairly high up, but it looked like three fairly large men with shaved heads were following an African-American man as he walked down the street. As we watched, the three thugs grabbed the other guy and started dragging him into an alley.

"Skinheads." Glory Girl muttered, with disdain in her voice. "Here we go. I'll swoop in from the far side. When they turn to run,Nightingale will drop in and block their exit. Then we get to watch her kick some ass. Laserdream will provide ranged support if you need it."

I nodded in agreement. I was a bit nervous, but three un-powered thugs should be a piece of cake compared to Lung. Glory Girl released me and I dropped a few feet before my own flight kicked in, and she took off at a much higher speed towards the E88thugs.

As she reached the end of the alley, she plunged straight down and hit the asphalt with a loud crack that sent fragments flying into the air. She landed in a perfect three-point stance and held it for a second before she slowly stood up, glaring at the Empire thugs. I wonder how long she spent practicing that landing.

"Cape!" One of the thugs yelled out. They shoved the man they were assaulting towards Glory Girl and the three started running towards the alley entrance right as I dropped in front of them.

Without giving them a chance to react, I threw my hand forward and unleashed my Thunderwave attack. A cacophonous boomerupted from my position with such force that it threw the two closest thug backwards, where they landed in a heap, clutching their ears in pain.

The last thug stumbled, but remained on his feet. He hesitated a second and glanced backwards, where Glory Girl was still standing. Evidently deciding that I was the lesser threat, he charged straight forward at me. I flicked my collapsible baton out, andpirouetted around him right as he reached me as I lashed out with the baton at his legs. The Empire thug gave a yelp of pain as he fell down hard. I immediately followed up with a rain of quick strikes with my baton on the downed assailant, which quickly took any remaining fight out of him.

I pulled a zip-tie out from my utility belt and quickly restrained his arms behind his back while he was down and still moaning inpain. Glory Girl similarly was restraining the other two fallen thugs with zip-ties.

"Nicely done!" Laserdream complimented as she hovered down to ground level.

"Th-thanks!" I stuttered out, heart still pounding from the fight. It had lasted only a few seconds, but the adrenaline rush I was getting was almost overwhelming.

"Are you alright, sir?" Laserdream asked the man that we were following. "I've already called the police, and they should be here soon along with the paramedics."

He looked like he was around thirty years old, and he was bleeding from his nose as well as a few lacerations on his cheeks. He didn't look too hurt though as far as I could tell. "I'm alright." The man grunted out, as he clutched his ribs in pain. "It'll take more than a couple of these spineless Empire twits to keep me down." Personally I thought his bravado was a bit balmy. He was getting his butt kicked right before we saved him.

Laserdream chatted with the man for a bit as Glory Girl floated over to me. "Good job earlier. You really let that guy have it with that baton."

I guess my attack was pretty brutal, but I felt it was justified. "I'm not a Brute," I said. "I can't afford to give up the upper hand in a fight by taking it too easy."

"Hey, I'm not criticizing." She replied quickly. "Besides, you can always heal them back up a bit if they take too much damage. I have to be so careful holding back my strength when I'm dealing with these normal thugs."

A few moments later, we heard the telltale blare of sirens as a pair of police cars and an ambulance pulled up to where we were waiting. After giving our statements and making sure the victim was being taken care of, we were back in the air and on patrol again.

"That was about as eventful as most patrols go." Glory Girl commented once we were in the air again. "Despite how prevalent the gangs are here, you won't really find their villain capes out and about very often."

The next hour or so was fairly uneventful. We did a flyover over large parts of the downtown area, and even though we didn't spotany more crime, it was still fun chatting with Laserdream and Glory Girl and hearing stories of their past exploits.

"Ready to call it a night?" Laserdream asked. It was getting late, and I was ready to agree with Laserdream when Glory Girl interrupted us.

"Wait a second, look at that." Glory Girl murmured, pointing to a small group of people wandering down a deserted street. They would've looked like a normal group of companions, except several of them were carrying baseball bats. It wasn't exactly the right time of day for sports.

"Let's follow along for now." Laserdream said.

"We're all wearing white costumes." I commented. "Not exactly subtle."

"People don't look up randomly while they're walking around. We'll be fine!" Glory Girl insisted. "We can use the rooftops for cover."

We hovered down closer to the group and ducked behind a rooftop. Amazingly, none of the people in the group looked up or noticed our presence. Now that we were close enough to hear what they were saying, it seemed likely that they were Empire 88 thugs based on the colorful language they were using.

"We're heading towards ABB territory." Glory Girl whispered to us as we followed along. After a few minutes, the group we were following turned into an alleyway. The alleyway was already occupied by a group of Asians, one of which was spray-painting what looked like their gang sign on the walls.

"Hey this is Empire turf, you fucking slanties!" One of the Empire thugs yelled at the other group of Asians.

"Fuck off, this is Lung's territory now!" An ABB member yelled back.

The two groups started brandishing their weapons, which were mostly pipes, baseball bats, and small knives at each other, whileyelling progressively nastier slurs and insults at each other. There was a lot of posturing, which was actually kind of amusing to watch from our angle.

"I'm calling it in." Laserdream said, as she pulled her cellphone out.

The situation below had escalated into a full blown brawl as the two groups clashed into each other in a maelstrom of violence. Yells and grunts of pain filled the alleyway below us as we sat on the rooftop. Glory Girl and Laserdream looked entirely unconcerned as we waited for the police to arrive.

"Shouldn't we be doing something?" I asked.

"Nah, just let them wail on each other. The cops will be here soon enough." Glory Girl said. "We'll step in if things get too out ofcontrol."

It was uncomfortable sitting on that rooftop while listening to the yells of escalating violence on the street below. Still, they were Empire 88 and ABB gang members. They were pretty much the vilest scum of Brockton Bay. It wasn't like they were harming anyone else here.

Almost as if on cue in response to my thoughts, one of the Empire thugs pulled a small pistol out and fired errantly a few times at the ground near the ABB gang members, causing them to scatter backwards a bit.

"Shit, that asshole might hurt a bystander with that." Glory Girl swore. "I'm going in. Cover me from up here."

Glory Girl leapt over the edge of the roof and shot towards the gun-toting E88 thug in a blur. She grabbed the gun and tackled the thug in one smooth mention, sending him tumbling down the alleyway. The two groups below yelled out in panic as they realizedthat a cape was among them, and reorganized themselves surprisingly quickly to face Glory Girl together. Wow, look at that, the Nazis and the ABB working together against a common foe: a group of teenage girls. It was almost inspiring.

Laserdream popped out over the roof and started raining her signature purple laser beams down into the group of gang members. I joined her an instant later, and sent a pair of my own laser beams at two different thugs. I couldn't control the power output of my beams like Laserdream could, so I made sure to aim for their legs. I winced as I heard a sharp crack as one of my beams hit home. Ithink I just broke someone's leg.

"Die, you cocksucking whores!" One of the ABB thugs yelled out.

The thug had fallen down after getting blasted by either Laserdream or me. He was crawling away as he pulled out a smallish round object and lobbed it straight at Glory Girl. What was that? A grenade? Before I could give it a second thought, I took aim atthe orb and launched one of my energy beams straight at it. I was surprised when my beam actually connected with the orb.

Something entirely unexpected happened next. Instead of exploding in a hail of shrapnel, there was a brilliant burst of white light that blinded me for an instant. I blinked rapidly a few times, and gasped when I saw the scene below us.

The ABB gang member who had thrown the device and a couple of thugs near him had been transformed completely into glasssculptures.

I gaped wordlessly at the frozen sculptures below me while Glory Girl and Laserdream quickly subdued the rest of the gang members.

What the fuck just happened?

"Holy shit..." Glory Girl said quietly, as she hovered up to where I was standing. "I think you should call your lawyer now."


	16. Crescendo 3-5

**Crescendo – 3.5**

March 18th, 2011

I sat there in the alleyway shaking as I stared at the glass sculptures of what used to be human beings below me. Were those people dead? I wasn't sure, but none of my healing abilities were working on them.

The police had arrived moments after we had subdued the gang members, but they didn't do much except cordon off the area. Due to the nature of what had happened, the PRT had been called and we were now waiting for them to show up.

"Hey, it's going to be OK." Glory Girl said as she landed next to me and wrapped me in a hug. "You didn't do anything wrong."

I sighed deeply and snuggled into Vicky. Her body was warm, and the steady rhythm of her heartbeat was incredibly calming. "I know. I don't think I did anything wrong, but it still feels like I did. People are still dead because of what I did."

"Hey, I don't know what that grenade might have done to me." Glory Girl said, giving me a little squeeze. "I think you saved my life tonight, so I'm definitely glad you did what you had to do."

We sat there quietly and waited for a bit. A few minutes later, a pair of PRT vans pulled up and a number of troopers began filing out of them. They fanned out and began securing the scene. Besides the PRT troopers, a pair of Protectorate heroes had also arrived. I recognized them immediately as Velocity, Brockton Bay's resident speedster, and Miss Militia. I was a big fan of Miss Militia, and I would've felt like squeeing if the circumstances were better.

"Are you girls alright?" Miss Militia asked gently as she approached us.

"It wasn't my fault!" I blurted out. Yikes, I'm pretty sure that's exactly what every guilty person ever would say.

Glory Girl groaned and facepalmed herself. She wrapped her arm around me and covered my mouth with a hand. "Please stop talking now."

Miss Militia chuckled slightly at us. "It's alright, I just want to know what happened."

I chose to sit silently and let Glory Girl do the talking this time.

"Umm, no offense," she said, "but our lawyers are on the way, and we'd rather wait for them to get here before making a statement."

"Don't worry, I don't think you girls are going to be in any trouble, but if you wish to wait for counsel, that's well within your rights."

With that, Miss Militia left us alone temporarily while she helped the PRT troopers did whatever it was they did at crime scenes. I wasn't paying too much attention to be honest, although I was a bit relieved upon hearing her words.

Vicky's mom and Quinn Calle arrived upon the scene at roughly the same time. After quickly introducing me to Carol Dallon, Calle pulled me aside where we could have some privacy.

"How you doing, kid?" He asked, the concern evident in his voice and eyes.

"Umm, I'm not hurt or anything." I replied with a shrug. "Thanks for coming all the way out here in the middle of the night Mr. Calle."

"Anytime, kiddo. You know I have your back. And not just because you pay me obscene amounts of money. Now tell me what happened, from the beginning. Give me as much detail as you can remember."

I launched into the events of the night, and Quinn stopped me every few minutes to ask for clarification or for more details. After Iwas done with the story, he asked me to repeat it again to make sure I was consistent with all the details, which he seemed satisfied with.

"Well, the good news is you definitely didn't do anything wrong. I don't anticipate the PRT giving you any trouble over this." Quinnsaid. "You can give a statement now, or we can schedule one for tomorrow at the PRT building. If you're up to it now, I think you should just do it now while Miss Militia is here. She's tough, but fair. She'll probably make a Wards pitch, but she won't pressure you unfairly."

"Let's just do it now." I said. "I just want this to be over with."

Evidently Glory Girl and Laserdream had the same thought, as they were already giving their statements to Miss Militia. I waited a few minutes for my turn, and then walked over with Calle and gave my statement to Miss Militia. By now, I was calm enough not to make an ass out of myself.

"It seems pretty clear what happened here." Miss Militia said after she finished taking my statement. "All things considered, you girls were pretty lucky tonight. We'll let you know if we have any more questions."

"What was that thing?" I asked. "How did those people get turned to glass?"

Miss Militia hesitated for a few seconds before answering. "It's not quite public knowledge yet, but it will be soon enough. There's a new tinker in town. Lung recently recruited the Cornell bomber, and she's been outfitting the ABB footsoldiers with tinkertech bombs to offset the E88's cape advantage. One of the Empire's capes, Stormtiger, was killed by a similar bomb last night."

I gulped upon hearing that. I've never seen Stormtiger before, but he was an experienced Empire cape. I thought we were as safe as we could be tonight, but one of us easily could have died. I could already imagine what Dad would say if he found out about this.

Miss Militia sighed. "Look, I'm not trying to discourage you from wanting to do good, but it's dangerous out there for independentheroes, especially right now with the E88 and ABB out for each other's blood. If you were in the Wards, you'd at least have the PRT watching your back, and extensive training on how to deal with different types of dangerous situations."

"I'll think about it." I said. Miss Militia looked a bit disappointed, and I didn't doubt that she could tell I was being disingenuous.

I walked back over to Glory Girl and Laserdream as they prepared to depart.

"One last bit of advice, girls." Miss Militia said to us as we were leaving. "If you were a Ward or PRT employee, you would have to undergo mandatory therapy after an incident like this. I know it may seem unpleasant, but it's been proven to be helpful after such an experience. It's pretty rare, but there actually are a few therapists that specialize in taking parahumans as clients. I can give youthe number of the therapist that we have on retainer, and I'd definitely recommend that you give her a call."

I nodded absentmindedly at the heroine. Therapy was the last thing I had in mind right now.

"Anything you say to her would be totally confidential. Please, think about it."

"Thanks, but I just want to get out of here right now." I said. Hopefully she wouldn't think I was being too rude.

* * *

March 20th, 2011

I stared at my cellphone in horror. What have I done?

It was ironic. Being a cape was an escape from being Taylor Hebert, and now I was trying to hide from that other life I had created now. Maybe I should have tried harder to make some non-cape friends. It was too late to back out now though.

I was tempted to call Sabah or Vicky to see if they wanted to hang out, but I didn't want to be reminded of what happened a few days ago. Sabah was kind of a pacifist. I don't think she'd approve of what had happened earlier. Besides, I needed a distraction from cape life, so instead I called Madison Clements.

She'd offer to talk and hang out last time I saw her, and it seemed like a good idea at the time. Actually, it wasn't so much a good idea as the only idea I could think of. I had only been at Arcadia for a week, and even though the kids there were nice to me, I stillhadn't made any friends there yet. I suppose that was mostly my fault, as I was still the reclusive loner who sat in the back of eachclass.

Madison had suggested that we meet at Weymouth Mall. I could guess where that was going: more clothes shopping. I think being friends with Vicky for the past couple weeks had conditioned me enough that I didn't even try to argue for anything else.

I still had several stacks of cash from my last allowance from Calle, so maybe some retail therapy would help. I spent more time than I'd like to admit getting ready, which mostly involved brushing my hair, fiddling with make-up, and trying to decide what to wear. It had been an unusually warm Spring, so I settled on a simple white sundress. I might have just been stalling for time though, so with a resigned sigh I left my room and went downstairs.

"Hey Dad, I'm heading to the Mall." I said to my father, who was vegging out on the couch and watching television.

"Meeting Victoria again?" He asked halfheartedly, his eyes still glued to the TV.

"Umm, no I'm meeting someone else." I replied. I hesitated for a second. How much did I want to tell him? Our last patrol didn't make it to the news, so that was one conversation I was able to avoid with Dad. I didn't feel right keeping even more secrets from him. "I'm meeting… Madison."

"Wait, Madison Clements?" Dad asked, as he struggled to sit up from where he was slouching. "The same one we just spent thepast few months suing?"

I winced upon hearing that. "Yes. She stopped by the other day and apologized. She says she's a changed person now."

"Why didn't you tell me sooner? And you believe her?" Dad pressed on. He clearly didn't believe me, but he didn't know that Icould read minds.

"Yes I do. I think it'll be good to talk with her. Maybe it'll help me move on."

"Well I hope it works out for you." Dad said, as he rose from the couch. "Come on, I'll give you a ride to the mall."

The drive over was fairly quiet. Dad kept glancing at me nervously, and it was clear that he was expecting this trip to go badly for me. Thanks for the vote of confidence, Dad. He dropped me off at the entrance and allowed me to enter by myself.

Weymouth Mall was the biggest shopping center in Brockton Bay, and it was a popular hangout spot on the weekends for teens.

"Hi Taylor!" Madison greeted me with a cheerful smile. "You look really cute today."

"Umm, thanks." I responded awkwardly. I couldn't get over how weird it was that Madison was being nice to me. "You too."

"You have no idea what a luxury it is for me to be able to choose what to wear these days." Madison replied with a grin.

"Not a fan of the Immaculata uniform?"

"It's not too bad I guess, but it's just so boring!" Madison said. "Wearing the same thing everyday, and being surrounded by girlswho all wear the same uniform. The only time I get to actually really use my wardrobe these days are on the weekend."

"How's the school otherwise, besides the fashion famine?" I asked.

"It's alright. The teachers there are a lot stricter compared to Winslow, and the work is a bit tougher. I'm not really as religious asmost of the other students there, so it can be a bit awkward sometimes."

We walked deeper into the mall for a bit before Madison pulled me into a clothing store. Shocking. Madison idly plucked a few outfits for me to try on as we browsed and chatted. My friendship with Vicky had conditioned me so well that I didn't even bother protesting any of her choices.

After what felt like an eternity of browsing and trying on new clothes, we were off to the food court with our arms ladened with bags filled with our purchases. I had been mostly cooking and eating healthy stuff, but I could still appreciate a fast food burger.

"What made you change your mind?" Madison asked. "Don't get me wrong, I'm glad you did, but I didn't think you wanted to seeme again last time we spoke."

I shrugged. Saying 'I'm just using you as a distraction' didn't seem like the right thing to do. "People make mistakes. And they deserve second chances I suppose when they do. I know I would want one for my screw-ups."

"That's really cool of you. I don't know if I could be that big if it had happened to me." Madison replied.

I smirked. "Is that becau-"

"Ugh, don't even think about making a short joke." Madison interrupted, causing me to laugh.

"Madison, is that you?" A familiar voice called out to us.

I turned towards the voice and was greeted by the sight of my least favorite person on Earth. Emma fucking Barnes. She was accompanied by two of her skank followers whose names I couldn't remember. I panicked internally. Was this whole thing just a setup? Did Madison lure me out here just so they could screw with me?

Emma's face widened in shock as recognition finally set in.

"What the hell are you doing here with Hebert?" Emma hissed at Madison.

"We're just hanging out." Madison responded stiffly.

"You've been blowing me off to hang out with this loser?" Emma responded incredulously.

Ah, Emma, still as big of a bitch as ever. I exhaled in relief upon learning that I hadn't been betrayed again by Madison. I glanced around the food court. It was a weekend, and it was filled with teenagers and families shopping together. I could only hope that Emma wouldn't make a scene here.

Madison sighed and rubbed her nose ridge. "Come on Emma, there's no need for that. I told you that my parents didn't want me hanging out with you anymore. I've apologized to Taylor for my part of what happened, and we're trying to move on."

"What, you want to actually be friends with this pathetic hoe-bag?" Emma leveled an impressive glare at me. She actually looked legitimately angry. "Do you have any idea how much trouble you got Sophia in when you tattled on us?"

"Gee, however will I sleep at night knowing that Sophia Hess might actually face the consequences of her actions." I replied sarcastically, rolling my eyes to enhance the effect. See, I can be a normal teenage girl.

Emma scoffed. "What, you think you're hot stuff now because you accidentally stumbled into the woman's section of a clothingstore and learned how to put on some make up? Don't kid yourself, Taylor. You look like a tranny whore."

Ouch. That hurt a little.

"Back off, Emma." Madison spoke up with a little more heat in her voice. "Taylor looks great, and you know it. Haven't you learned anything from all the trouble caused by your creepy obsession with Taylor?"

Wow, I never thought I'd see the day where Madison of all people would defend me.

"As if." Emma said with a sneer marring her otherwise pretty features. "She looks good? Maybe for a second round eliminated contestant on RuPaul's Drag Race."

What? That was an oddly specific insult. I was more confused than insulted by it. At school Emma had always been more subtle and underhanded when it came to tormenting me, but I guess she was too angry right now to care.

People were starting to stare at us, and I definitely didn't want to be the center of this kind of attention. I noted a few of the nearby teens had cellphones out and were recording our altercation. Oh god. I needed to get out of there.

"Forget this. Come on Madison, let's go." I said, and turned to leave.

Before I could get more than a step away I felt Emma grab my arm and yank me back. "I'm not done with you yet, Hebert."

I yanked my arm out of her grasp and glared at her as a wicked idea crossed my mind. "Emma, I know you're still hung up on me,but you need to move on. I already have. Please leave me alone. This is just getting pathetic now." I said loudly, and turned around to leave again. Ha, take that! Now, I just need to not look back while I do my badass walk awa- GAH! Searing pain erupted from my scalp as Emma grabbed a handful of my hair and tugged hard.

I threw my head back and awkwardly tried to grab at her arm, desperately trying to prevent her from actually pulling a chunk of my hair out.

"Let her go!" I heard Madison scream as I caught the pint-sized blur out of the corner of my eyes.

Madison slammed into Emma with an impressive lariat, knocking the wind out of her and thankfully causing her to release her grip on my hair. The two girls landed on the ground in a tangle of limbs, screaming as they scratched, slapped, and pulled each other's hair. Our audience at the food court erupted in cheers as they started chanting 'fight' over and over again. I rolled my was no real way to fight.

I noted with satisfaction that Emma's skanky followers just stood there in shock, clearly unwilling to defend Emma in an actual fight.

"Alright! That's enough!" I yelled out as I waded into the fray.

I grabbed Emma from behind and pulled her off of Madison. Emma however, was fully enraged now and showed no sign of calming down. She swung her arm back and elbowed me right in the boobs, causing me to let go and stagger back a few steps. Gah! I might not have much going on there, but that still hurt like hell! There was only one appropriate form of retaliation. As Emma spun towards me, I stepped forward quickly and kneed her right in the groin. Ah, my trusty old standby.

Emma actually squealed as she collapsed onto the ground. That felt way better than I expected. I should have done that ages ago! Wait no, bad Taylor. Violence is bad.

I turned towards Madison to help her up. "Are you alright?"

Madison's eyes widened. "Look out!"

I grunted in pain as Emma tackled me from behind and into one of the nearby tables. I slid awkwardly over the tables as my legs actually swung over my heads and I rolled off the table and landed in an undignified heap. My dress was now wet with food stains and bits of food from where I had landed on the table. Gross.

Emma mounted me and tried to punch me, but was stopped when Madison jumped on top of Emma and toppled her over. The added weight knocked the wind out of me. I didn't care anymore about the crowd that was cheering us on and undoubtedlyrecording everything. I was pissed, and I was going to punch Emma in the face.

All my self-defense and martial arts training was completely forgotten as the three of rolled around on the ground, our limbs flailing awkwardly as we tried to strike each other. All the high pitched screaming from the girls drowned out the rest of the crowd for me, and it took several seconds before I realized that I was screaming too.

What a shit show.

* * *

"Well, that escalated quickly." Madison said, as she held up an ice pack to her darkening eyes.

I looked at Madison, and couldn't stifle a giggle at the sight.

"What?" Madison asked, her face scrunched up in confusion.

"You look like a raccoon right now with your two black eyes." I said with a laugh.

"Like you were any better out there." Madison retorted. "Ow! My boob! Waah!"

We both shared a laugh. The day had been an unmitigated disaster, but somehow ended up being the most fun I've had in a long time.

"I think you broke Emma's nose." I said to her.

"What a tragedy. I don't think models with busted noses are in super high demand." Madison said with an evil grin on her face,causing the two of us to giggle uncontrollably for several minutes.

"Um… thanks for having my back." I said. "Did you notice that Emma's sycophants bailed as soon as things got serious?"

Madison smiled at me. "Of course. I told you, I'm not that person anymore. And also, Emma's kind of a bitch."

"Kind of?" I asked, with a small snort.

We were interrupted by a knock on the door, and a cross looking security guard entered immediately afterward. "Girls, yourparents are here."

My dad and the Clements rushed into the room. They all shared a similar expression: concern mixed with anger.

"Taylor, are you alright?" Dad asked as he engulfed me in a crushing hug.

"Ughh, can't breathe!" I gasped out. "I'm fine Dad, calm down."

"Getting into fights now? What's going on with you?" He asked, his lips pursed in anger.

"It wasn't our fault!" I said petulantly. "Emma started it. Madison was just watching my back when things got a little… out of hand."

The Clements were similarly scolding Madison. Dad and the Clements looked at each other awkwardly for a few moments. It was only until recently that they were on opposite sides of a very messy lawsuit.

"So… are the two of you friends now or something?" Dad asked.

I glanced over at Madison, who gave me a soft smile in response. "Yeah, we're friends now."

Who knew that all it took for us to bond was punching Emma in the face.


	17. Crescendo 3-6

**Crescendo – 3.6**

March 21st, 2011

Monday brought the start of another school week. I had just started enjoying school again, and I could only hope that our fight at the mall yesterday hadn't drawn too much attention.

"Hey Tay-Tay!" Vicky said cheerfully, stopping me near the entrance of Arcadia. "Your video has three hundred thousand views on Youtube already!"

My stomach sank. "What video?"

Vicky handed me her cellphone, and I groaned as soon I saw the title of the video. 'Teen lesbians brawl at the mall!'

"So, is the little one your girlfriend?" Vicky asked. "She was… feisty."

"What? No! That's Madison. She's just… a new friend." I replied, blushing heavily.

"Riiiight. But the redhead is your ex?" Vicky pushed on.

"No… that was my ex-best friend whose life goal now is to torment me. I've never dated anyone before." I said. I was completely mortified now, but I had a feeling it was only going to get worse. "I was just messing with her because she was being a bitch."

"You really expect me to believe that? You better not be holding out on me, Taylor." Vicky said, with a pout.

"Seriously, no lesbian love triangle here!" I insisted. Vicky didn't look convinced.

"Ugh, you mean this is just your run of the mill catfight? That's so disappointing. I refuse to believe that." Vicky said, as the video played on. "Anyways, here is my favorite part."

I frowned as I saw myself go tumbling over the table ass over head on her phone. Emma, that sneaky bitch.

"If you pause at just the right moment here," Vicky said with a wicked grin on her face as she fiddled with the video controls, "you can totally see your panties!"

"VICKY!" I yelped as I shot my hand out to grab her phone. Vicky held me back effortlessly with just a single arm and chuckled as I flailed around helplessly. Damn her and her super strength. "How do I get this video taken down?"

Vicky snorted in response. "Seriously? It's the internet. It's going to follow you for the rest of your life."

"Ugh, how wonderful. Is there any chance that most people in the school haven't seen it?" I asked hopefully. It was nice to have hopes and dreams, but I had a feeling such things were not meant for me.

"Nope!" Vicky responded with an entirely inappropriate amount of cheer. "Veronica forwarded it to me, and she's a huge gossip queen. I bet over half the school has seen it by now."

I groaned again. Why is this my life? It was enough to make me want to cry.

"Aww, don't worry Tay-Tay. I'll protect you from any mean lesbians we run across." Vicky said as she hooked my arm with hers and led me inside the school. "But seriously, we need talk to talk about some stuff. Are you free after school today?"

"Yeah sure, and why are you calling me that?" I asked.

"Eh, it feels about time we take our relationship to the next level and introduce some playful nicknames." Vicky said. "Anyways, you've been to my house already, so you should totally invite me to your place now!"

There really wasn't any good way to deny Vicky. She had the habit of forcing her will onto her unfortunate victims, I mean friends, and she was really bad at taking no for an answer.

"Vicky, would you like to come over to my house this afternoon?" I asked.

"Perfect, text me your address. Ta!" Vicky said, and sauntered off to her first class.

As I walked to my first class of the day, it was impossible to notice that I was getting looks from the rest of the student body. Nobody was straight up pointing and laughing at me, but I could hear the hushed whispers and giggles.

Snippets of conversations filtered to my brain as I walked through the halls. "-see the video?" "-saying that Stormtiger was killed last we-" "so hilarious when she-" "I knew she was a dyke" "-need to leave Canary alone!"

I had barely lasted a week before becoming the school freak again. When I said I wanted a distraction from our disastrous patrol, this wasn't exactly what I had in mind.

It was going to be a long day.

My morning classes went about exactly as I expected. I rushed to the back of the classrooms where I usually sit and buried my nose into a textbook and pretended like I didn't notice the other kids talking about me or making fun of me. It wasn't nearly as bad as what I had dealt with at Winslow, but I think the shock of it all happening again here at Arcadia had somehow reduced me to an insensate mess. The classes rushed by in a blur and I practically ran out of the classroom when the lunch bell rang.

It was a pleasant Spring day, and Vicky and her usual group were sitting outside today. The other girls were whispering to each other and started giggling as soon as I approached them. I resisted the urge to punch Veronica in the face, primarily because I forgot which one of the three girls at the table was Veronica.

"Hey, knock it off." Vicky said sharply as she directed a menacing glare to the peanut gallery. "If you don't behave, I'm going to punt your asses into the bay."

That shut the girls up quick, and they apologized sheepishly to me. I could tell that they wanted to bombard me with questions, but Vicky's presence held them back. I flashed Vicky what I hoped was my most 'grateful' smile and sat down at the table. This was what I never had at Winslow: someone who actually had my back. The other girls started chatting about the upcoming festival at the Boardwalk while I pulled out my packed lunch and started eating.

"Ugh, you need to eat some real food instead of that rabbit feed you eat." Vicky said, as she munched on a large slice of pizza purchased from the cafeteria.

"This is healthy and full of nutrients." I defended. I had been packing healthy lunches for both Dad and myself ever since I found out that he had high blood pressure. Today's menu was an arugula and seitan wrap and a side of baby carrots. Dad had grumbled at the use of seitan instead of bacon, but Vicky had been teaching me an arsenal of pouts, doe-eyed looks, and whines that I didn't hesitate to unleash on him.

"Hmph, I've been trying to get her to eat healthier for a while now with no success." Amy muttered grumpily.

Vicky gave her sister a look of betrayal and decided to ignore her.

"Taylor, I worry sometimes that a strong gust of wind will blow you away, and I'd have to find a new pottery buddy." Vicky said, as she moved on to the bag of potato chips she had bought. She even had a large non-diet soda to go with her meal!

"I have no idea how you stay so thin while eating like that." I muttered, with absolutely no trace of envy or bitterness in my voice.

Back before I started exercising and eating healthy, I had somehow managed to acquire a body shape that featured stick thin limbs and a small potbelly. Along with my wide mouth, it made me look like an upright frog. Emma had nicknamed me "streetwalker Kermit" at Winslow, and had somehow roped a large percentage of the student body to make 'ribbit' noises whenever I walked by. It was one of her more hurtful stunts.

"What can I say, a good metabolism and vigorously beating up criminals keeps me in shape." Vicky said smugly.

Amy snorted and rolled her eyes, which caused Vicky to shoot her a look that I couldn't quite decipher. What was that about?

Part of the appeal of sitting outside for the girls was cellphone reception, and I was surprised when my own cellphone buzzed. I was still getting used to having friends and people actually contacting me. I pulled my phone out and exchanged a few texts.

 **Sabah** : _Hi Taylor. How was your weekend?_  
 **Taylor** : _Hi Sabah! Pretty good. It was uneventful._  
 **Sabah** : _Oh? It was uneventful? So it was someone else I saw on Youtube getting into a catfight at the mall this past weekend?_  
 **Taylor** : _You saw that huh._  
 **Sabah** : _Yuuup_  
 **Taylor** : _I was hoping you wouldn't see it_  
 **Sabah** : _While I don't approve of violence in general, that bitch looked like she had it coming._

I chuckled in agreement, which piqued Vicky's interest.

"Who ya texting?" She asked in a sing-song voice.

I cleared my throat. "Just a friend."

I was saved from further investigation by the appearance of Vicky's boyfriend, Dean Stansfield. Dean was Arcadia's golden boy. Senior class president, honor roll student, popular, handsome, and rich. He was exactly the type of guy one would expect to see Vicky with.

He greeted all of us, though he frowned almost imperceptibly when he looked at me. What the hell? What was his problem with me?

As Vicky wandered off to chat with her boyfriend in private, I noticed that Amy was glaring at Dean as they walked away.

"So… what's new with you, Amy?" I asked.

Amy stared at me blankly. Right, Nightingale was sort of friends with her, but Taylor definitely wasn't yet. Having a secret identity could be confusing.

"Umm… not much." Amy responded.

"Are you going to the-"

"Sorry, I have to go grab some books from the library. I'll talk to you later." Amy said. She stood up abruptly, grabbed her bag, and was gone.

I think that went well. Operation Befriend Amy was going swimmingly. The peanut gallery giggled as I realized in horror that I was now alone with them.

"So..." Veronica (I think) started to say as she leaned in towards me. "We have some questions for you."

I groaned in dismay.

* * *

The doorbell rang just as I finished pulling the snacks I had made out of the oven. Vicky had the appetite of a black hole, so I figured she'd appreciate having some food. I set the tray on the coffee table and went to let Vicky in.

Vicky's eyes darted around as she entered my house, soaking up every little detail of the house. Mom had done most of the decorating, and we hadn't made any changes since her passing. She was a big proponent of picking pieces with character, and as a result our house was decorated with a mismatch of items that didn't have any coherent theme. For example, the reclaimed wood coffee table at the center of our living room clashed horribly with the more modern sofa. I chose to view it as quirky and charming.

"Nice place!" Vicky complimented, as her eyes wandered around. "Something smells nice."

"Yeah, I made us some snacks." I said. "Flatbread with mozzarella, basil, and a drizzle of olive oil."

"Ooh, look at you. So domestic." Vicky said as she started munching on one. "Mmm, these are delicious. Marry me, Taylor!"

Jeez, what was she saying. I cleared my throat. "So, what did you want to talk about?" I asked.

"Well… our last patrol didn't go exactly as planned, huh?" Vicky asked, with a small smile as she finished one of the flatbreads and moved on to another.

I snorted. "That's an understatement."

Vicky sighed and continued speaking in an uncharacteristically serious tone. "I really wanted it to go well. I even got Crystal out for her first patrol in months. I wanted you to have a good time, and you know, hopefully you'd want to do it again with me."

"It… didn't go the way I wanted to sure, but that's not going to stop me from being a hero. Of course I'm going to continue working with you."

Vicky beamed at me. "Perfect, because I was hoping to make this team-up more official."

"What? Like, you want me to join New Wave?" I asked. That was shocking. I certainly wasn't prepared to unmask to the world.

"No no no. New Wave wasn't supposed to be just about a team. It was supposed to be a movement – openness and accountability. But it was our parent's movement you know. The second generation members, we were never asked to unmask. It was just decided for us."

"You don't like being an unmasked cape?" I asked.

Vicky shrugged. "I don't mind it, and Eric enjoys the attention and the fangirls as well. But I know Amy doesn't like all the attention and scrutiny, and I think Crystal is enjoying her time pretending to be a regular college student."

"I don't mean that they forced us into it or anything!" Vicky said quickly. "But New Wave isn't nearly as active as we used to be. My parents hardly ever go out on patrol anymore, Amy only volunteers at the hospital these days, and you know about Crystal."

"What about Shielder?" I asked.

Vicky frowned. "That little twerp is too annoying to deal with without Crystal to keep him in line. He doesn't take this as seriously as we do. Besides, he's too busy hooking up with his fan-girls these days. You, on the other hand, you're smart and ambitious, and I know you have big plans with Calle. I want in."

"So, you want to form a new team? You're leaving New Wave?" I asked incredulously. New Wave was her family.

"No, but I was thinking I could focus on our team-up and just keep up with the PR stuff for New Wave. Besides, if it's anything big we have to deal with, we'd probably all be working together anyways." Vicky said.

"And your parents are fine with that?" I pressed on.

Vicky opened her mouth to speak, but paused and then closed it with a frown. "I didn't think that far ahead."

I rolled my eyes. "Seriously?

"I mean, it all makes sense in my head! We can cross that bridge when we get to it?" She offered weakly. "Besides, you know we'd make a good team. I bring the muscle, and you heal them back up before they bleed out."

"What?"

"Just a joke, Taylor." Vicky said quickly. "But seriously, we would make a good team. And we'll look good while we're doing it! You've only been a cape for a few months, and your popularity is already soaring."

"I don't think that should matter." I said, but I didn't even believe my own words. Calle had been emphasizing how important PR was for capes to me lately.

"Come on, of course it matters. I'm sure you've noticed, but none of the independent capes in Brockton Bay besides you and New Wave are thought of that highly. Purity was a Neo-Nazi, Bug Girl is viewed as creepy and gross, nobody knows much about Mistblade, and Vengent is a total psychopath."

I winced at that. Vengent generated a lot of debate on PHO. Some people thought he was a hero, but even more thought he was a ruthless vigilante that needed to be brought in. When I had asked Insight about him, she had simply said "stay away." Not much was known about him, besides that his weapon of choice was a high powered sniper rifle. People debated if he was even a parahuman, or just some deranged gun nut. Some people hypothesized that he may have been ex-military or PRT. He had killed over a dozen gang members, as well as two villainous capes, in the past few years. The PRT had a warrant out for his arrest, but there was a general belief that they weren't trying too hard to bring him in as long he only targeted the gangs and villains. There were a few other independents in Brockton Bay, but Vicky had a point.

"Alright, so what do you have planned?" I asked. It seemed like Vicky had actually given this a lot of thought, and I agreed with her that we would make a good team. Also, I didn't like dealing with the PR stuff, while Vicky seemed to revel in it.

"So, first things first," Vicky said. "I was thinking, we could probably use some more muscle. Having at least three heroes out there together is a lot safer than two. You're not a brute, so I'd feel better knowing that we have another hero to watch your back against the baddies."

"That makes sense. I'm a big fan of not dying. Did you have anyone in mind?" I asked.

"What about Parian? We're already on friendly terms, and she's popular with the kids and families. Those giant gorillas of hers really pack a punch. Think we could convince her to join up with us?" Vicky suggested.

"Hmm, I don't think so. She's really against violence or using her powers to fight. She's committed to remaining neutral."

Vicky frowned. "I figured as much. That's a shame. She's probably the independent cape that best fits our criteria right now."

"What about Arachne?" I suggested.

"You really want to work with the creepy bug girl?" Vicky asked. "I don't think she'd fit with us. Too villainous."

"What do you mean? I mean, sure bugs are a bit creepy, but that's a bit harsh." I don't really know why I was defending Arachne, but Parian seems to trust her.

"C'mon, you know she doesn't fit the image that we're trying to portray. From what I've heard, she has a habit of leaving gang members incapacitated and overloaded with venom without alerting the cops. Amy had to heal one of her victims a few months ago. The PRT is definitely not fond of her. Beside, I doubt she'd want to work with us anyways."

"So who else then?" I asked.

"I think Mistblade could work." Vicky suggested.

I didn't know much about her besides that she was a hero. "And she fits our 'criteria'?" I asked. I don't think Vicky appreciated the air quotes I used.

"No idea. She's been super elusive since she appeared a few months ago. I'm not even sure what her power is. She's not big on the whole PR thing apparently, but think of it as a blank slate we can work with."

"Well, what _do_ we know about her?"

"Well, she uses a sword, hence the name. She took down Stormtiger and managed to drive off Cricket by herself, so she must be pretty badass. Doesn't seem like a newbie, so she might be a hero or a villain from another city trying to rebrand under a new name."

Yikes, that was a scary thought. Secret identities were exactly that: secret. I guess I never thought about how easy it would be to simply move somewhere else and swap a mask out to start anew. "Let me guess, you want me to ask Insight to set up a meeting?"

"Yup! It'll give us an opportunity to scope each other out." Vicky looked at me expectantly.

"OK fine, I'll ask." I said. "Nothing can possibly go wrong from this."

"Don't be pessimistic, Taylor."

I was on the verge of replying with a witty retort when the doorbell rang.

"Expecting someone?" Vicky asked.

"Nope." I replied. "Stay out of sight and I'll go check it out."

Vicky gasped dramatically. "Are you ashamed of being seen with me?"

I rolled my eyes and ignored her as I went to the front door. A quick glance through the peephole revealed an entirely unexpected guest. I frowned in puzzlement and opened the door.

"Hi Taylor! It's been a while." Greg Veder greeted me with a large smile. Without a trace of subtlety, his eyes wandered down my body and roamed over my legs. I resisted the urge to shudder and wished that I had worn one of my old baggy jeans instead of the new pair of leggings that I had on.

"Greg! What are you doing here? How do you even know where I live?" I asked.

"Emma gave me your address. She says she feels bad about what happened and that I should come over and check up on you."

I groaned. If I ever saw Emma again, I was definitely going to break her nose again.

"Wow, you look great! Did you get contacts?" Greg continued on.

Greg was actually a pretty nice guy. He was never mean to me at Winslow, but he could be really scatterbrained and oblivious to what was going on around him. Also, he used to stare at me when he thought that I wasn't looking. Still, it wasn't in me to tear him down or be mean to him like Emma would.

"Umm, Greg, I'm totally fine as you can see. Thanks for checking up on me, but this isn't really a good time. I have a friend over right now."

His face fell, and I almost felt sorry for him.

"I saw that video of you online!" He blurted out. Of course he has. At this point I wouldn't be surprised if my grandma called me up tonight to scold me. "Wow, I didn't know you had it in you! It was really ho-, ahem, pretty badass. Are you and Madison friends now? She left school around the same time you did, do you guys go to the same school now?"

Yikes, I think his train of thought had taken him so far offtrack that he had completely forgotten that I had politely asked him to leave.

"No, we don't go to the same school. Greg, I'm sorry, but I really need to-"

"Taylor, you just said those things to mess with Emma right?" Greg interrupted with a hopeful expression on his face. "You're not actually into girls, are you?"

Was he serious? I stared at him in disbelief for a second before deciding what to say. "Yup, 100% gay here." I said confidently. "I'm definitely into girls."

I could see Vicky from the corner of my eyes laughing silently as she hid out of sight. Her hands were clamped over her mouth and she was doubled over and shaking from laughing so hard. I just knew that she was going to give me so much grief over this.

"What? Really?" Greg asked, his face crestfallen. It was like kicking a puppy that was already down. "Are you… are you sure?"

Before I could answer, Vicky decided to chime in. "Taaaylor!" She called out in a sultry voice. "Come back to bed! I'm getting lonely."

My face turned so red that that I was sure that I could pass for a prize winning tomato. "Gotta go, bye now!" I managed to squeak out before slamming the door in Greg's face.

Vicky exploded into laughter as soon as the door was shut.

"Not funny!" I hissed at her.

"Sure it was, I laughed." Vicky replied, mirth dancing in her eyes.

I glared at her.

Vicky held up her hands in acquiescence. "Let's just agree to disagree on that."


	18. Crescendo 3-7

**Crescendo – 3.7**

March 23rd, 2011

"So, Taylor, how are you doing now?" Calle asked as I reclined in the comfy chair in his office.

"Ehh, I'm OK. Trying not to think too hard about what happened." I replied absentmindedly as I did a quick spin on the chair. I had just finished healing a pair of clients at Calle's office, and we were now doing our weekly strategy meeting. "This is a nice chair. Where did you get it?"

"It's a Herman Miller. You can get one for $1,200 at most high end office supply stores." Calle responded.

"You spend $1,200 on chairs?" I asked. That was mind boggling! The things rich assholes spent their money on.

Calle raised an eyebrow as he stared at me questioningly. "Taylor, I was there when you spent $120,000 on a lightsaber."

Oh right. I forgot I was one of those rich assholes now too.

"Speaking of," Calle continued, "you have a delivery from the Toybox."

I leapt out of my chair in excitement. "Why didn't you tell me sooner! Where is it?"

Calle absentmindedly pointed towards a pair of packages in the corner of his office, which I rushed over to unbox. I felt a rush of giddiness as I unpacked my new toys, ahem, I mean my new instruments of justice. Huh, there just might be something to this retail therapy idea after all.

Up first was the package containing the hard light baton. The device itself was packaged nicely inside an expensive looking Pelican case, which contained the hilt, a charging dock, a carrying case and holster, and a ton of documentation that had giant warning labels on them. I tossed the manuals aside and gingerly removed the hilt.

The hilt was a hefty cylindrical silver rod which was just long enough that it could be wielded with either two hands or just one. As I picked it up, I noticed that the rod wasn't perfectly circular, but rather elongated in a way to make it fit easier in the palm of my hands. At the bottom of the hilt was a dial that switched between the baton or sword settings.

I fiddled with it a bit before I found the on/off switch, and activated it. A glowing, magenta beam of light sprung from the rounded hilt and formed a blade a little over two feet long. I had debated hard on which color I wanted for my shiny new lightsaber, and ultimately settled on magenta which pretty closely matched the color of my energy beams.

"Kid, you better not chop off one of your own limbs with that thing." Calle said with an amused expression on his face as I played with my new justice-dispenser.

"It's not actually a lightsaber." I replied, as I tapped on the blade with a finger. "A lightsaber generates a beam of super hot plasma. This is just a hard light sword or baton. The blade isn't hot. The risk of accidental dismemberment should be minimal."

"Wow, you're kind of a nerd, huh."

I rolled my eyes and chose to ignore him. I gave my new lightsaber a few practice swings. This was without a doubt the coolest thing I have ever owned, though I should probably learn how to actually use a sword. Calle had edged a few feet away from me in the meantime. Jeez, what was he nervous about. It was on the baton setting.

After securing my new lightsaber and it's holster on my utility belt, I moved onto the second package. After unpacking everything, I picked up the compound bow. The weapon had a collapsing mechanism that let it fold down to roughly a foot long. A simple thumb switch caused the arms of the bow to swing outwards and open up. Also in the package was a quiver/battery pack combo that kept the taser arrows charged, along with a quiver of regular arrows.

"Do you have any idea how to use that thing?" Calle asked, with a concerned look on his face.

"Nope, no idea." I replied cheerfully, as I pulled on the draw string. The draw weight must have been pretty light since I was able to pull it all the way back without hurting myself. I may have been in better shape now compared to before I had my powers, but my arms were still pretty skinny and I had no upper body strength to speak of.

Calle sighed deeply and started muttering under his breath. "Don't you dare fire that thing off in here. What was I thinking, helping a fifteen year old kid with no training acquire highly dangerous weaponry."

I suppose Calle had a point, since I had never used one of these things before. I mentally added archery lessons to my never-ending to do list.

"Relax, Mr. Calle!" I said to him as I shot some imaginary arrows around his office. "What could go wrong?"

* * *

The cool Spring air blowing against my face was refreshing as I flew through the air with Vicky. It was a tough choice deciding between volunteering at the hospital tonight or joining Glory Girl for a patrol, but ultimately my desire to test out my new hard light baton won out. Plus, we were out tonight on a specific mission. I ultimately decided to leave the compound bow at home, since I didn't trust myself to use it out in the field yet.

"I think you should let me borrow the lightsaber for tonight," Vicky said to me as flew through downtown Brockton Baay.

"What? No!" I replied in a heated voice. "It's my first night with it, I want to use it."

"C'mon Tay-Tay, I know you're an only child, but you need to learn how to share." Vicky whined.

"You don't even need it! You already have super strength."

"But think of how cool I'll look waving that thing around!"

I chuckled. "Well you can watch me look cool with it instead. How about this, I'll let you use it next time we go on patrol, OK?"

Vicky sighed. "Fine. You better let me play with it next time!"

We flew in companionable silence for a few more minutes before we spotted something promising.

"Down there. Skinhead alert." Vicky murmered to me, pointing with her eyes towards a lone figure walking

It was kind of unfair that every bald young guy in Brockton Bay was automatically labeled a skinhead, but I suppose that was the risk you take if you chose to rock that hairstyle in the same city as the largest Neo Nazi gang on the Eastern seaboard.

"It's him," Vicky whispered as we flew closer and right before she released me from her grip.

I dropped a few feet before my own flight kicked in, and I quickly zoomed in front of the skinhead we were following. He gave a start as he noticed me, and I flew in quickly for a hard three point landing about a dozen feet in front of him. I grimaced in pain as the force of the landing reverberated through my knees. Probably shouldn't have tried that without more practice.

The skinhead looked like he was in his twenties, and he was wearing a simple outfit of jeans, work boots, and a buttoned up shirt. He took one look at me and bolted away from me down an alleyway. I didn't make too much of an effort to chase him, as Vicky, or Glory Girl since were in the field, landed in front of him seconds later, blocking his path.

"The woman you attacked was Andrea Young," Glory Girl spoke in a low and menacing tone as she stared down the skinhead.

The man looked around wildly, back to me, and then off to the sides, as if searching for escape routes.

"You're trapped, fugly," Glory Girl told him. "You don't have a shot in hell of escaping just me, let alone the two of us."

"I didn't do anything!" The man snarled at her.

"Andrea Young!" Glory Girl yelled, her aura ramping up. The skinhead faltered visibly as the effects of Vicky's aura washed over us. "A black college student was beaten so badly that she needed medical attention! Her teeth were knocked out, and she had three cracked ribs! You were in the crowd grinning with glee as the paramedics took her away, and your fugly mug matches police sketch that she gave. You still trying to say you didn't do anything?"

The man backed a few steps away from Glory Girl and towards me. "I didn't do nothing worth caring about," he sneered at Vicky.

Ah, so he was the scumbag we were looking for. I wasn't as sure as Vicky was, since all skinheads looked fairly similar to me on police sketches. I narrowed my eyes at him and activated my hard light baton. The magenta blade beam erupted from the hilt with a sharp hiss.

"What the fuck is that!" The skinhead yelled as he scrambled a few feet away from me.

Vicky strode forward rapidly and with a hard push shoved the man onto the ground. She stood menacingly over him and began to speak. "I think it's safe to say that you're a member of the Empire Eighty-Eight, or at least you're friends with them. So here's how this is going to work. You're going to tell us everything your merry band of Nazis are up to, and in exchange I don't break your arms and legs."

"Fuck you! You can't touch me." The man was blubbering now, and I could tell that he was scared. "There's laws against this shit."

I scoffed. "The law exist to protect good people from scum like you. Besides, we're not going to touch you. You're going to tell us everything we want to know. You know why?"

The skinhead sneered at me. "You wish, you fucking rug muncher."

I rolled my eyes and activated my mind reading power. What was it about being a Nazi that made them so devoid of any charm. "You're going to tell us everything we want to know whether you want to or not, because I'm psychic. Why did you attack Andrea Young?"

Vicky looked at me questioningly, but I ignored her for now.

The skinhead actually had the nerve to laugh at me. "There's no such as psychics, you dumb cunt."

Despite his disbelief, his surface thoughts still showed me exactly what I wanted to know. "You attacked her because you thought she was hot? What, was this like some kind of sick pulling on a girl's ponytail second grade shit? Deep down, you knew that she was too good for a pathetic gangbanger like you, and you hated yourself for feeling those things, huh."

His jaw clenched with anger as I spoke, and when I finished he actually tried to lunge at me. Vicky easily pushed him back down to the ground and stepped on his shoulder with enough force to make him grunt in pain as he futilely tried to pry her off him. I waved my lightsaber around a bit, for added effect. I'm going to say it was very effective.

"We're going to find out what we want to know whether you want to or not," I said, "so save yourself the trouble and just tell us. If I have to rip it out of your mind, it's going to be very unpleasant for you."

He slumped a bit, and I could tell that his resolve and fight were leaving him.

"What are the E88 up to?" Victoria asked him. "Why haven't they retaliated against the ABB yet?"

"Those chinks will get what's coming to them," he snarled. "Kaiser put the word out. There's a half million dollar bounty on their Tinker bitch's head."

"A bounty? Why not attack them directly?" I asked.

The skinhead shrugged. "How the fuck should I know. Maybe because Coil's pressing us in the downtown areas right now. Don't know what this guy's power is, but he's got a private army, all ex-military. At least fifty of them, all wearing PRT level body armor and laser guns that cut through steel."

"Yeah, I know about him," Victoria said, with a frown. "Top of the line soldiers, top of the line gear. He must be spending a fortune on his little gang war."

The thug nodded in agreement. "He's fighting us over the Downtown territories for months. Constant tug of war, neither of us making much progress. I don't anything more then that, so let me go already."

"Who else is up to something? Faultline?" Vicky asked.

"The bitch with the deformed freaks? She's a mercenary. Doubt she'd get involved, though I guess if she wanted to branch out, now would be a good time to take advantage of the situation."

I frowned. The last thing Brockton Bay needed right now was a full scale gang war, though the ABB lately had been way more aggressive than usual. First with the attack on the Boardwalk, and then outfitting their non-powered footsoldiers with tinkertech bombs.

The thug continued, "You want my opinion? Only a matter of time before one side loses patience and war breaks out between the Empire and the ABB. Everyone's already on edge. With the increased Protectorate patrols and the damn vigilantes hounding us lately, our businesses are losing money. And I'm guessing the chinks aren't doing any better. Both sides are going to be hungry for new territory. I told you what you wanted, now let me go!"

Vicky and I exchanged a quick look, and she nodded to me. "The police will be here soon to pick you up."

"What? Hey fuck you cocksuckers! Let me go!" The skinhead screamed at us.

With a pull on my powers, I put the Empire thug to sleep, and was spared from listening to any more of his disgusting voice. Vicky pulled out her cellphone and gave a quick call to the Brockton Bay PD.

"Well, that went well." Vicky said cheerfully. "You can't actually read minds, can you?"

I shrugged nonchalantly. "I'm not sure. It's only surface thoughts. It might just be some form of power assisted cold reading or deduction making."

"What am I thinking of right now?" Vicky asked.

"I'm not going to read your mind. Cut it out."

"Come on!" Vicky implored me. "You know you want to."

"It's a gross invasion of privacy. I don't use it on my friends." I mentally added 'anymore' to the end of that sentence.

"You have my permission to. I want to see if it actually works. Just imagine the cool things we can do with it! Pleeeaaase." Vicky was pouting at me now and staring at me with her big doe-eyes. Ugh.

"Fine, give me a second." I sighed in defeat. There really was no denying Vicky when she got like this.

I pulled on my power again and turned it towards Vicky.

"WHY ARE YOU PICTURING ME NAKED?" I yelled at Vicky.

"S-sorry! It was an accident." Vicky stammered out, her face turning red.

"What the- How do you accidentally do something like that?"

"Well I couldn't think of something to think of to test you on, so I just said to myself 'just don't picture her naked,' and then I couldn't stop thinking about it!"

"Just… please stop." I groaned out.

"Umm, it was seriously an accident this time," Vicky said with an apologetic smile.

A police cruiser arrived a few minutes later, and we watched as the cops cuffed the skinhead before waking him up and dragging him into the car. We were treated to another round of epithets and curses as the skinhead took the time before he was shoved into the police car to scream at us, mostly insults about our sexuality or calling us various anatomy lickers. Honestly, Nazis can be so unpleasant to be around.

Vicky suppressed a yawn as she pulled out her cellphone to check the time. "Let's call it an early night. We do have school tomorrow."

* * *

It was still fairly early by the time I arrived back home, at least compared to our last weekend patrol. My spirits were actually fairly high all things considered. We had successfully caught the racist scumbag that had assaulted the college girl, the gossip surrounding me and that damn Youtube video was finally dying down at school, and I had finally leveled up enough to gain new powers!

Dad was still doing some work in his study, so I sprawled out on the couch and started channel surfing, stopping on a local news program.

 _Good evening Brockton Bay, I'm Jeff McAvoy, and you're watching the Channel 10 WJAR evening news. Our top story tonight is a tale of shocking corruption and abuse of power at our very own PRT and Wards branch. As citizens of Brockton Bay, we rely on our heroes, the PRT, the Wards, and the Protectorate, to protect us from harm. But what happens when one of these heroes becomes our tormentor?_


	19. Interlude - 3x (Shadow Stalker)

**Interlude – 3.x (Shadow Stalker)**

March 25th, 2011

Sophia stomped into her room and threw her backpack against the wall. School had been shit the last few months, and it was all that pathetic wimp Hebert's fault. She couldn't take a fucking prank, and had to get the cops and lawyers involved. At least the District Attorney had the common sense not to file any charges in the case, but Director Piggy had thrown a shit-storm over the whole mess.

Now Sophia was a fucking prisoner in her own home. Outside of school and her duties as a Ward, Sophia was on house arrest unless accompanied by a PRT officer or one of the other Wards. Of course, none of the other Wards were willing to accompany her during her downtime, so her social life was completely shot to hell. At least she still had track. Piggy had wanted to pull her out of all extracurricular activities as well, but the Wards psychologist had insisted that it was good for her.

School wasn't nearly as fun anymore now that the teachers wouldn't let her get away with whatever she wanted. There were some other wimps that she had directed her ire too at first, such as Greg Veder or Doreen, but the teachers had actually done their job and shut her down quick. One tiny lawsuit, and now they were such bitches about every little thing.

Even her Wards patrols weren't as fun as they used to be, since she was forced to be saddled with one of her useless teammates now. That meant she couldn't deviate anymore from the designated Wards patrol routes, and as a result she saw a lot less action compared to her old solo patrols.

Sophia seethed as she plopped down on her bed. The worst part of it all was the damn tracking bracelet that she was forced to wear now. Armsmaster had built it, and it not only tracked her every move, but it also prevented her from entering her shadow form unless she was on Wards duty. She was interrupted from her internal ranting when her cellphone started ringing. Sophia picked up the phone and frowned as she looked at it. A number she didn't recognize was displayed on the phone's LCD screen.

"Hello Miss Hess, I have a matter of grave importance and urgency to discuss with you." A male voice she didn't recognize spoke through the phone.

"How did you get this number, asshole?" Sophia responded, in her usual charming manner.

"I know a great many things, Miss Hess, but you need to know that I am here to help you."

Sophia was tempted to hang up right away, but her curiosity got the better of her. "What could you possibly help me with?"

"Tonight at 11:00 PM, the channel 10 evening news is going to run a story on how the PRT and DA's office covered up the criminal assault and battery of a Winslow High School student at the hands of Shadow Stalker's civilian identity."

"Bullshit!" Sophia snarled. "There's no way they'd have the guts to out the identity of a Ward on fucking TV."

"Oh, the news program will be very careful to follow the letter of the law and not actually name any names," the mystery voice continued on, "but you can be sure that by the end of the night, the identity of all the parties involved will be public knowledge via the internet. What you need to really be concerned about Miss Hess, is what the PRT will do in response. You know as well as I do how important PR is to the Wards program. They will be looking to make an example out of you."

Sophia's blood ran cold. She didn't doubt that the PRT would do exactly that. Piggy already hated her guts, and none of the other Wards would stick up for her. "There was no fucking coverup! The prosecutor simply didn't file any criminal charges. There's no probation violation they can get me on. This is such bullshit!"

"Don't be naive, Miss Hess. Charges were never filed because it was inconvenient for those in charge above you. Once it becomes otherwise, they will do the exact opposite and hang you out to dry."

Sophia was already mentally making plans. She would have to run. She had a bug-out bag phased hidden under her bed, and enough cash that she had liberated from gangbangers to last her for a few weeks on the run, but the damn bracelet was standing in her way. "Who are you, and how can you help me?"

"I have connections with the PRT and a great number of resources and friends everywhere." The voice explained in a confident tone. "It's how I knew about your predicament. As for who I am, I'm merely a concerned Brockton Bay citizen who is looking to make this city a better place. You may call me Overwatch."

Sophia frowned at the name. "Yeah I've heard of you. You're the crazy rich guy that's bankrolling some of the independent capes in town, right?"

"Yes, I've helped other heroes in this city do good, although I assure you that I am quite sane. And that's where you come in, Shadow Stalker. Work with me. I can provide you with safe houses, equipment, and a stipend. Help me make this city a better place."

Sophia snorted at the offer. "You want me to stick around? Fuck that. I'm getting out of this shithole."

"And how far do you expect to get with that tracking bracelet on? If you try to tamper with it, the PRT will be on you before you can get it off. Even if you did manage to remove it somehow, it doesn't matter where you go. They will chase you. You will become exactly what they will say about you: a villain. I don't believe that's who you are."

"And what can you do about it?" Sophia asked.

"I can deactivate your bracelet and give you enough of a head start to evade the PRT. Stay Shadow Stalker, and show this city that you are a real hero. You know the PRT in Brockton Bay only makes a token effort to bring in vigilantes. Work with me, just for one year. After a year, if you still want to leave, I'll help set you up with a new life and a new identity in a different city."

Sophia paused as she considered his offer. The bracelet was the biggest roadblock right now to her freedom. It must have been made with either kevlar or some kind of tinkertech material, and she doubted that she could remove it on her own in a timely fashion. "Alright, fine. I'll play ball for now. What do I do?"

* * *

Sophia entered the safe house by phasing straight through the front door. She had to leave all her old equipment behind in fear of trackers, and was wearing a hoodie with the hood pulled tightly over her head. The apartment was a small studio and sparsely furnished. A twin sized bed and a small television lined one side of the apartment. On the other side of the room was a dining table that was almost overloaded with various equipment and items. On one of the walls was a large map of Brockton Bay, with a large amount of notes on the local gang structures pinned to it.

Sophia entered the small kitchenette and started rifling through the cupboards and the refrigerator. The pantry was surprisingly well stocked, with plenty of bottle water, frozen meals, canned goods, and MREs. Whoever this Overwatch was, he was definitely thorough in his operations.

Sophia walked over to the table and started examining the items one by one. There was a costume that looked similar to the one she wore as a member of the Wards. The costume consisted of a dark bodysuit with armored pads placed over the knees, elbows, and chest, and a dark hooded cape was meant to be worn over it. Next to the outfit was a prepaid cellphone with one number already saved in it memory, which she pocketed after examining for a quick moment. Next were a packet of heavy duty zip ties, which were always useful, even if Sophia didn't plan on sticking around for the cops to show up.

Next to the utility items were a variety of weapons arranged in an array. Sophia picked up a large Bowie knife first, and grinned wickedly as she performed a few experimental slashes. The blade on the knife was about a foot long, and it was exactly the type of weapon that the PRT never would have allowed her to use. Next to the knife was a collapsible baton. It was a useful tool, though boring compared to the large knife. The real showstoppers on the table were a pair of sleek black hand crossbows. A variety of bolts accompanied the crossbows, including tranquilizer bolts that looked similar to the ones she used as a Ward, and steel broadheads that could easily kill a man if she wasn't careful.

For the first time in a long while, Sophia felt free. No more dealing with the inane bullshit that was high school. No more of the PRT and Wards handicapping her and constantly treating her like she was a villain. She still had half a mind to skip town now that the bracelet was off, but the thought of running off with her tail between her legs didn't sit right with her. For now though, it was time to hunt.


	20. Interlude - 3y (Various)

**Interlude – 3.y (Various)**

"And, we're clear!" The cameraman called out.

Jeff McAvoy let out a loud whoop as the light on the monitor blinked red. "Great show everyone! Hell of a job all around!" He yelled.

When the story had first dropped into his lap, he had immediately dismissed it as a hoax. When the source proceeded to send hundreds of documents that gave evidence to the ridiculous sounding story, he knew that he had gold. This story hit all the right notes: a young white girl in distress, shocking government corruption, a good conspiracy and cover up, and capes. This was his ticket to a Pulitzer, and it was by far the most serious story he had ever covered.

His producer, Emily Thompson, stepped out of the control booth to greet him. Jeff frowned as he saw her chew her bottom lip nervously.

"Emily, cheer up!" McAvoy said to her. "That was a hell of a show."

"You know this is going to cause trouble." Emily responded.

"I'm counting on it. We've gone over everything with the lawyers with a fine-tooth comb. We haven't broken any laws."

Ted Lloyd, the station's General Counsel, walked over and joined the pair. "Technically that's true, but you never know when it comes to dealing with parahumans and the PRT. Precedent is all over the place when it comes to anything parahuman related."

"Good to see you, Ted. Did you enjoy the show?" McAvoy asked.

"I had a feeling that I'd be needed here tonight. And yes, it was a good show. Probably the best one we've ever put on." Ted replied.

Emily sighed. "This is going to make waves. It'll get picked up nationally before the morning papers hit. The PRT are going to want to know your source."

Ted shrugged his shoulders nervously. "I'd be surprised if the PRT weren't on their way here already."

As if on cue, a team of about a dozen PRT officers swarmed into the TV studio, led by Director Piggot herself. One officer who looked to be slightly more in charge stepped forward.

"Everyone, please relax and stay exactly where you are!" He called out. "Cooperate and we'll be out of your hair as soon as possible."

The staff of the news station glanced around nervously. Some nervously raised their arms, as if they were being held up. The PRT officers fanned out and began searching the studio.

"Good evening, Director, how can I help you?" McAvoy asked, flashing the PRT Director with his most charming smile. "Are you here for an interview?"

The Director glared at Jeff. "You can tell me who your source is."

"Straight to the point, I see." McAvoy said, with a sigh. "You know I can't answer that."

"It's in your best interest to cooperate Mr. McAvoy, unless you want to spend the night in a PRT holding cell."

"I haven't broken any laws." McAvoy replied indignantly. "What exactly are you going to arrest me for?"

"You outed one of my Wards on live TV! That's a felony!" Piggot snarled at him.

"I did no such thing," McAvoy protested. "In fact, I even implored all my viewers to not release any such information if they were privy to it."

"Ahem," Ted interjected. "My client hasn't committed any crimes that would require the presence of the PRT, so I must insist that you explain what you're looking for here."

Piggot scoffed. "Her name was plastered all over the internet before your first commercial break! But that's not what I'm here for. You're in possession of stolen classified documents, so here's what you're going to do. You're going to turn over every single scrap of paper related to the production of tonight's broadcast, as well as every single computer and cellphone here that was involved."

"And we will be happy to comply with any court order that mandates the production of those items." Ted replied.

Piggot chuckled derisively. "I don't need a Court Order to seize evidence in relation to a parahuman crime, as per the Parahuman Response Authorization Act."

"What?" Ted asked in befuddlement. "That only applies if you have reasonable cause to believe that there has been a crime committed involving a parahuman. You're clearly outside your jurisdiction here."

Director Piggot snorted in amusement. "You need to brush up on your parahuman law. Any crime committed against the PRT is automatically classified as a parahuman crime."

Ted tried to sputter out a protest, but the PRT officers were already searching and seizing things in the studio. He sighed in resignation. "You need to give us a receipt at least of everything you're seizing."

"While I have you here, would you mind answering a few questions?" McAvoy asked.

Piggot's eyes narrowed. "Are you serious?"

"Great, given the circumstances of Shadow Stalker's recruitment, what sa-" McAvoy began to say before he was cut off.

"Stop talking," Piggot said. "I'm not here for a fucking interview."

She stared at him in a calculating manner for a few moments before reaching an internal decision. "Expect a court order tomorrow compelling you to divulge your source." She said, and immediately spun around to leave.

If he was being honest with himself, Jeff McAvoy was slightly disappointed he didn't get arrested, or that he wouldn't be spending the night in a PRT holding cell. It would've made a great story for his memoir.

* * *

"Have you made any progress towards finding the leak?" Director Costa-Brown asked over the video conference call.

Emily Piggot grimaced. "No, not yet. We've seized the computers and files of the news crew, and we're working towards getting a court order to force McAvoy to testify. Our best guess at this point is that the mole inside is an Empire Eighty-Eight sympathizer, and they're going to use this to push their agenda."

"Hmm, maybe, or it could just be an employee that has anti-parahuman sentiments that didn't like how the Shadow Stalker situation was handled. Regardless, I want you to make finding the leak your number one priority."

Piggot nodded in agreement, as if she hadn't already made it her top priority. She had long suspected that there had been a mole inside her branch, and the leaked documents confirmed it for her. Piggot didn't buy that it could be the work of a lone deluded whistle-blower who thought himself doing good. This was a calculated attack on the PRT. The timing with the deactivation of Shadow Stalker's monitoring bracelet was too suspicious to be a coincidence.

"What about the reporter?" Costa-Brown asked.

"He's an idiot." Piggot responded curtly. "I don't believe he was actually involved in the leak, just a lucky recipient of the documents. We'll put more pressure on him tomorrow."

"Very well then. I've reviewed the files," Costa-Brown continued, "and it seems clear that there was no misconduct on your part, although you understand there must be an internal investigation. However, this is a still big black eye for the PRT, and…" Costa-Brown hesitated.

"You need me to resign." Piggot stated, in a flat tone of voice. Piggot regretted not going with her gut and just punting Hess straight into jail when she first came across her. She actually believed that the Hebert girl was telling the truth, but there wasn't a shred of evidence to backup her claims and no witnesses had come forward. The DA had declined to bring charges as a result, no doubt thinking they were doing Piggot a favor. At least she was able to fire and replace the PRT officer assigned to Winslow.

"That's a little premature." Costa-Brown said quickly. "Brockton Bay needs you right now, Director Piggot. There's nobody else qualified who can do the job as well you can."

 _Translation: you'll get rid of me when you can squeeze maximum PR value out of it_ , Piggot thought. It was as much as she expected. In the meantime at least, she could act without having to care about PR, since she'll just be scapegoated for everything at a later date.

"I can't release a statement in support of you publicly, Director Piggot." Costa-Brown stated. "But I can give you a little bit of help. This probably won't be much of a consolation, but I have approved your request for Parahuman transfers to Brockton Bay."

Piggot resisted the urge to snort upon hearing the news. Figured they wouldn't bother sending help until after she was already expected to fall on her sword. This was no doubt a ploy to prop up whoever her successor will be.

"I see." Piggot responded in a neutral tone. "Reinforcements from New York I'm assuming?"

The New York Protectorate as a whole had by far the most heroes in the entire country, including Legend, who could fly so fast that he didn't even need to stay in Brockton Bay when he was off duty. They had so many heroes that they were divided into five whole subdivisions, each with their own headquarters in each borough.

"No, Legend needs to stay in New York, and they have their hands full right now." Costa-Brown replied. "Boston has been quiet recently ever since the Teeth left for Detroit, and they can spare some personnel. Mouse Protector has volunteered to relocate temporarily, and we're sending you two Wards: Weld to take over the Brockton Bay Wards, and Hunch to provide your team with a thinker."

Piggot had to restrain herself from grimacing. Mouse Protector may have an impressive record, but the woman was one of Piggot's least favorite capes. The hammy heroine was absolutely infuriating to deal with.

Weld and Hunch were both Case-53s and thus under the PRT's guardianship, so they were an obvious choice for transfers. Piggot could understand the rationale for sending in an outsider to lead the Wards now that Shadow Stalker had tainted their image so much. A fresh face from outside, especially someone as well respected as Weld, was a good choice to take over from a PR perspective. On the other hand, the local Wards would likely resent the abrupt change of leadership. Aegis was good friends with all the remaining Wards, and he already had their respect.

"Thank you, Chief Director." Piggot said. "I will put them to good use."

"One more thing. Bring Shadow Stalker in. Quickly. Good luck, Emily." Costa-Brown replied, before ending the call.

Piggot sighed and reclined back into her chair. She almost would've preferred to have been fired right away, just to be done with the mess that was currently Brockton Bay. Still, she would not abandon her duty. Brockton Bay still needed her.

* * *

Madison tugged at her skirt nervously as she entered the hallways of Immaculata. The news story had come as a complete shock to her, and she had called Taylor the night before to let her know that she had no idea that Sophia was Shadow Stalker. Madison was almost certain that Emma knew though.

As she walked through the hallway, it was obvious that last night's bombshell was all everyone was talking about, and her role in what had happened had not gone unnoticed. Dirty looks and whispered gossip were directed at her as she walked to her first class. Madison wasn't ignorant of what people had been saying about her online. All of her old 'friends' at Winslow had been quick to throw her under the bus and shared stories of her bullying online just for some meaningless internet attention. Some of them were outlandish and ridiculous lies, but even more of them had at least a kernel of truth in them.

Her morning classes passed exactly as she expected them to. Madison had only been at Immaculata for over a month and hadn't really made a lot of close friends yet, but all the kids who were previously friendly to her were now either ignoring her or making snide remarks about her in quiet whispers. Even the teachers were shooting her dirty looks or frowning in her direction.

When the lunch bell finally rang, Madison bolted out of her classroom

She hesitantly walked over to her usual table where all her new friends were sitting. "Hey guys!" She greeted them with a strained smile. "How's it going."

Her heart sunk when the group didn't respond to her greeting.

"Maddy, is what they're saying true?" One of her friends, Betty, asked.

Madison sighed. She didn't even have the energy or will to defend herself. "I don't know what people are all saying, but yeah I'd guess that most of it is probably true."

"You said your parents transferred you here so you could get away from the gangs at Winslow." Another girl, Ally, said to her accusingly.

"Umm, mean girls are kind of like a gang?" Madison joked, with a small smile. No one at the table laughed.

"I think it's best if you sat elsewhere today, Madison." Ally said.

Madison looked around the table at the other girls. Some of them gave her sympathetic or apologetic smiles, but no one would stand up for her. Others were glaring at her, clearly upset that she had lied to them.

Madison's shoulders slumped in resignation as she picked up her lunch and walked out of the cafeteria. Maybe she could find a spot outside where she could eat in peace. It seemed so unfair. She had been trying so hard to be a better person. But a bigger part of her felt like she deserved what was happening to her.

She ignored the dirty looks she received and sat down on an empty bench on the quad, and began eating her lunch alone. So this is what Taylor must have felt like everyday at Winslow. It hadn't even been half a day yet and she was already miserable.

She could only hope that Emma was having a worse day.

* * *

Sabah knocked on the door nervously. She wasn't really sure what she was doing here, but Taylor was her friend now, and friends were supposed to comfort each other when they were upset, right? When her store had burned down, Taylor had been there to help her pick up the pieces.

"S-Sabah! Hi!" Taylor squeaked out.

In contrast to all the other times Sabah had seen her, Taylor appeared a bit unkempt. Her normally perfectly brushed hair was a bit messy, and she was wearing a loose t-shirt and a pair of short athletic shorts. It was obvious that she wasn't expecting any visitors.

"Hi Taylor," Sabah said, "I'm sorry, is this a bad time?"

"What? Uhh, no! Come in." Taylor opened the door and stepped back, letting Sabah enter. A white, chubby Persian cat was lounging about, and purred loudly when Sabah entered Taylor's home. "Shut up, Mrs. Fluffypaws!" Taylor hissed at the cat.

Okay… this was a little weird. Sabah looked at Taylor questioningly, who blushed a deep red when she realized she must have looked a bit unhinged.

"It's.. uhh.. not…" Taylor stammered a bit before giving up on explaining her unusual behavior. "Would you like some tea?"

Sabah laughed lightly in response. "Sure, Taylor."

* * *

 **AN:**

 **.**

So it looks like there's some spacing issues in some of the chapters. I've been copying + pasting from another source, and I'm not sure why certain spaces are missing. I'll doublecheck the chapters, and make edits to the previous ones that have this problem. .


	21. Interlude - 3z (Panacea)

**Interlude – 3.z (Panacea)**

"C'mon Amy! Pleaaaase!" Victoria begged, while giving her sister her most potent pout and doe-eyed look.

"Victoria, no. I told you I don't want to do this anymore."

"Amy, yes!"

"Ugh, Crystal doesn't need me to do this." Amy muttered.

Victoria's eyes narrowed as she glared at her sister. "What the hell Amy? I can't believe you would say that!"

"Shit, I'm sorry." Amy sighed. "I didn't mean that. Look, I'll do it OK?"

Victoria squealed in happiness and launched herself at her sister, engulfing Amy in a tight hug. "Thank you! You're awesome."

Amy gave a small squeak as she settled into the embrace. Reluctantly, she broke apart from the hug and placed her hand on her sister's wrist.

"Are you sure you want me to do this?" Amy implored again. "You're at a perfectly healthy body fat percentage right now."

"Yeah, sis." Victoria replied. "But I can lose a few percentage points and still be perfectly healthy."

Amy sighed in defeat. "Alright, what do you want me to do with it. Boost your musculature?"

"Nah, make me taller!" Victoria replied happily.

"You're plenty tall already."

"Yeah, but I want to be _model_ tall." Victoria said. "And I want to be a good chunk taller than Crystal. Plus it'll give me an excuse to buy new clothes."

Amy resisted the urge to roll her eyes at Victoria's petty competitiveness. Amy understood Victoria's insecurities regarding her older cousin. Crystal was over a year older and an early bloomer, and she got her powers at a young age as well. The fear and pressure of falling behind and getting excluded had played a large part towards Victoria's trigger event. She briefly wondered if Victoria ate the way she did on purpose just to get Amy to accelerate her vertical growth.

Amy sighed and turned her attention towards her connection to her sister. Every cell, every muscle, every firing neuron blossomed into detail within her mind. If she was honest with herself, she didn't mind doing this for her sister that much. It was the most intimate thing she would ever experience with Victoria. Amy reached for the pockets of fat cells and dissolved them, slowly converting the raw biomass and energy into physical growth. Almost imperceptibly, Victoria grew almost an inch taller as her body became slightly more toned and slender.

"There." Amy said. "Make sure you drink plenty of fluids and get a good meal. Really, you should start eating healthier and actually exercising."

"Hey! I get plenty of exercise." Victoria responded sullenly. "And you're never taking away my cheese fries."

"You know that you're not actually burning any calories when you're flying, right? You should walk more instead of floating everywhere, and maybe do some real exercises."

Victoria pouted. "What's the point of lifting weights when I can bench press cars with my power? It's not like I can stop using my powers."

Amy sighed again. "Just… try something."

Victoria wrapped her sister up in a tight hug. "Sure thing, Ames. Thanks!"

Amy relaxed into the embrace as she nuzzled her sister. She really didn't mind giving Victoria these tune ups after all.

* * *

"Hey everyone! I found the new girl." Victoria's familiar voice sang out as she dragged a skinny brunette along with her. The girl had a wild, deer-in-the-headlights expression on her face as her eyes darted around, as if seeking out escape routes.

"The poor girl looks terrified of you, Vicky. You didn't drag her here against her will, did you?" Amy asked.

"Don't be silly," Vicky said. "Taylor and I are going to be great friends, I can tell already. Introductions! This is my sister Amy of course, and here we have Veronica, Jenny, and Helen."

Amy put the novel she was reading down and took this opportunity to really examine the girl. She was pretty enough with her long lustrous curls, large green eyes, and waifish figure, Amy begrudgingly admitted, but she was pretty plain compared to her Victoria. She looked about a year or two younger than the Dallon sisters, and she was tall for her age, standing at just a few inches shorter than Victoria. Which still meant that she was several inches taller than Amy.

Amy narrowed her eyes. The new girl better not be after her Victoria. Amy definitely did not like the lingering looks the new girl kept sending Victoria's direction as the group chatted away. But then again, who wouldn't fall in love with Victoria. Victoria was so wonderful. Why had Victoria suddenly taken an interest in an underclassmen though?

Wait a second, the height and build was about right, the voice sounded familiar, and the new girl had the same wide lips. _Holy crap_ , Amy thought. _Taylor is Nightingale!_ Of course Vicky would want to be friends with the civilian persona of her new cape BFF. And how she was able to transfer in to Arcadia so late in the school year. Arcadia had a long wait list, and new transfers were rare and was usually accompanied with the introduction of a new Ward. It seemed to fit in Amy's mind.

Amy's eyes narrowed as she seethed internally. Taylor had already outed herself to Victoria? That girl moves fast. Amy sighed again and turned her attention back to her novel, when she saw something out of the corner of her eyes.

Dean Stansfield, Victoria's boyfriend and the bane of Amy's existence. He was making his way over to the table with that stupid smile on his face when Amy decided to channel all her resentment and level her fiercest glare at him. She simply could not deal with him today. Dean faltered midstep, and abruptly turned away and started walking in a different direction. A wise decision, Amy thought smugly. If only that worked every day.

"Well you look like you're in pretty good shape. Do you play any sports?" Helen asked Taylor.

Of course Victoria's new friend would be tall, skinny, and athletic. Amy had seen herself described online as 'short and frumpy' before, much to her chagrin. Between her heavy course-load at Arcadia and all the time she spent volunteering at hospitals, it wasn't like she had a lot of time to exercise and stay in shape. If the new girl _was_ Nightingale, how the hell did she find the time to exercise so much? Amy sighed and glanced at her cheeseburger guiltily. Maybe she should start eating healthier.

"Uhh, not really. I like to run, and I have some experience with gymnastics." Taylor replied.

Amy briefly pondered what Taylor would look like in a leotard. She's certainly flat enough to be a gymnast, Amy thought, smirking internally. Amy decided to ignore the rest of the group and started reading her book again. Victoria nudged her a bit under the able, and shot her a disapproving look. Amy sighed. It wasn't like she hated socializing, but it was all just so tiring sometimes. She ignored her sister and turned her attention back to the book she was reading.

A few minutes later, a burst of laughter from the table brought Amy's attention out of her novel. Taylor was blushing deeply, and Victoria's arms were wrapped around her. Amy missed what the joke was about, maybe something about ghosts? All she knew was that she didn't like what she was seeing. She narrowed her eyes at Taylor. She would be keeping an eye on the new girl.

* * *

"Hey Amy, check this out! Veronica just sent it to me." Victoria was giggling as she handed Amy her cellphone as they approached the front entrance to Arcadia high.

Amy picked up the phone and started the video. "Is that…?"

"Yup, that's Taylor!" Victoria said with a laugh.

Amy watched in fascination as her schoolmate brawled with the pretty redhead in a sloppy and rather embarrassing manner.

So Taylor was a lesbian. Amy knew it! The video was definitely enough confirmation for her. But now she was reconsidering whether she actually was Nightingale. After all, the fight looked like just a regular brawl between untrained school girls. Amy didn't think she could do that much better, but Victoria had said that Nightingale could handle herself in a fight. Taylor's display here was just… embarrassing.

"Ooh, there she is!" Vicky said, pointing to the skinny brunette who was walking towards the school. "I'm going to go say hi. You want to come?"

"Nah, I have to get to class," Amy replied. "I'll see you at lunch!"

As Amy went about her morning, it was obvious that the hot topic on everyone's lips was Taylor and her fight at the mall with her ex-girlfriend. She felt a little bad for Taylor, since they were sort of friends, and had volunteered at the hospital together many times – assuming Taylor _was_ Nightingale. She was thinking of just confronting her and asking her if she was, but speculating on hidden identities tended to be frowned upon. Plus she was annoyed that Taylor had told Victoria her secret identity and not her.

Based on what she saw in the video, it looked like Taylor was hardly an expert at fighting, yet Victoria was still spending so much time with her these days and going out on patrols together. Maybe she could accompany Victoria on one of her patrols? The prospect of spending more time with her sister was nice, but it went against almost everything she had already established. Her power could certainly be used offensively, and she often explored those possibilities in her mind when she was in a particularly dark place. Still, she was too afraid to actually put those thoughts into practice.

By the time lunch rolled around, Amy's mood was foul. Her sister and her friends were sitting outside, ostensibly because the weather was nice. Amy suspected the real reason was that the girls just wanted to play with their cellphones way from Arcadia's cellphone jammers.

"Did you see the video?" Veronica asked as soon as Amy sat down.

"The one of Taylor fighting at the mall?" Amy asked. "Yeah, Victoria showed it to me."

"Her ex-girlfriend is such a bitch! I can't believe she dated her." Helen exclaimed. "Taylor is so private. She never told us she was dating someone. Her girlfriend looks cute."

"Ehh, Taylor says that the short one isn't her girlfriend," Victoria chimed in, "so she's still single."

Amy felt a stab of irritation upon hearing those words.

"Ooh, there she is!" Jenny whispered as Taylor approached the table, causing the girls to burst into giggles.

"Hey, knock if off!" Victoria glared at the other girls, shutting them up. "If you don't behave, I'm going to punt your asses into the bay."

Amy's irritation level rose another notch as she watched her sister defend another girl like that. She turned her attention to her lunch instead. She packed a salad from home today, since she had been trying to eat healthier ever since little Miss Anorexia joined their lunch group. As Amy speared a piece of lettuce with her fork, she couldn't help but think that salads suck.

"Ugh, you need to eat some real food instead of that rabbit feed you eat." Victoria said. As usual, she had completely ignored Amy's pleas to eat healthier and had bought two large slices of peperoni pizza and a large soda from the cafeteria.

Amy perked up upon hearing her sister's words, but was dismayed when she realized that she was talking to Taylor. Amy speared another piece of lettuce angrily.

"This is healthy and full of nutrients," Taylor replied. "It's an arugula and seitan wrap."

What kind of a fifteen year old eats arugula and seitan? "Hmph, I've been trying to get her to eat healthier for a while now with no success." Amy muttered grumpily. Victoria shot her a look of betrayal, which Amy steadfastly ignored. Amy stared at her pitiful looking salad, which she admittedly didn't put much effort into preparing. Fuck this, she was going to grab a cheeseburger from the cafeteria.

"Taylor," Victoria said, "I worry sometimes that a strong gust of wind will blow you away, and I'd have to find a new pottery buddy."

 _We get it_ , Amy thought angrily, _she's thin_. Amy's salad was starting to look particularly shredded as she stabbed into her bowl repeatedly with her fork.

Taylor looked up from her lunch at Victoria. "I have no idea how you stay so thin while eating like that," she muttered.

"What can I say," Victoria answered smugly, "a good metabolism and vigorously beating up criminals keeps me in shape."

Amy snorted and rolled her eyes. Yeah, Victoria's metabolism was super hard at work when she begged Amy to dissolve the fat on her thighs. She tuned out the rest of the table as she absentmindedly stabbed at her salad.

"Hey girls, how's it going?" A male voice called out.

Amy resisted the urge to shudder and clenched her fork tightly as her least favorite person in the world walked over to their table.

"Hi Dean!" The girls greeted him, as a few of them burst out into more giggling.

Amy rolled her eyes. So what if Dean was handsome, rich, and smart. To Amy, he was definitely still a grade-A douchebag. At least he didn't sit with them most days during lunch, which was a small consolation.

"Can I talk with you for a minute, Victoria?" Dean asked.

"Sure, I'll be back later girls." Victoria said, getting up to leave with Dean.

Amy sighed deeply. No reason to stick around any longer. Might as well get that cheeseburger now.

"So… what's new with you, Amy?" Taylor asked.

"Umm… not much." Amy replied. She wasn't really in the mood to do this whole awkward mumbling around each other thing that she and Taylor did every now and then.

"Are you going to the-"

"Sorry, I have to grab some books from the library. I'll talk to you later." Amy said, standing up and gathering her belongings. By books, she meant cheeseburger, but Taylor didn't need to know that.

As she walked towards the cafeteria, she passed by Victoria and Dean who were standing alone near a secluded spot, deep in conversation.

"-before ten-ish. I'm meeting Nightingale that night for a patrol." Victoria said.

"What, again?" Dean asked with a frown. "I hardly see you outside of school these days!"

"Don't blame me!" Victoria hissed in a quiet whisper. "You go on way more patrols with the Wards, and you never let me tag along anymore!"

"You know wh-"

The sounds of the couple arguing faded as Amy walked out of range. _Heh, trouble in paradise huh?_ Amy thought with a smirk. This day was getting better already.

* * *

"You're home early," Amy said to her sister as Victoria hovered into her room.

Amy was finishing up her homework as she watched television in her sister's room, which she often did when Victoria was out on patrol. She thought about asking for a TV for her own room, but she didn't like setting herself up for disappointment. For their sixteenth birthdays, Victoria had gotten a new BMW, and Amy had only received a DVD box set of Grey's Anatomy.

"Yup, we caught the guy that beat up Andrea!" Victoria exclaimed cheerfully. "It was just some Empire wanna-be thug. He's in police custody now."

"Congratulations." Amy replied. Nightingale had healed Andrea during their last volunteer session at the hospital, and the pair of them had decided to track down her assailant together. Apparently Nightingale's limited use healing abilities differentiated between diseases and physical wounds. Amy actually felt jealous of the other healer's limitations. Nightingale would show up at the hospital, heal a few patients, maybe sing a few songs, and then take a break. For Amy, the healing grind was nonstop. On any given night, she would heal double or even triple the amount of patients that Nightingale would. If only she had thought to fake some kind of similar limitation when she first started healing. It was too late now, of course.

"Yup, we totally kicked his ass." Victoria recounted, as she stepped towards her closet to change out of her Glory Girl outfit. "Nightingale tried to do the superhero landing right in front of him, but it was obvious she noobed it up and banged her knees. Gotta work on those landings so you don't hurt yourself if you're not a brute."

Amy had to refrain herself from peeking at her sister as Victoria pulled her dress off. "Mmmhmm," Amy replied, barely paying attention to her sister's words.

"And then the idiot tried to run. They always try to run! I mean, two flyers here who could easily outspeed any regular human, and the dummy thinks he can get away by running down an alleyway. Superior race, my ass!"

Amy chuckled at her sister's story. "Two superheroes against one regular thug? Sounds like a piece of cake."

"Yeah," Victoria replied, "and we totally got him to spill the beans on what the Empire was up to. Apparently there's a bounty on the ABB tinker's head. Nightingale has a lightsaber now, apparently, and she scared the crap out of the thug waving that thing around. I sooo want one of those, but she was cagey about how much she paid for it. I bet it was expensive as balls."

"What, like a real lightsaber from the movies?" Amy asked.

"Nah, she called it a hard light baton. But it looks like a lightsaber. Anything good on?" Victoria asked, as she plopped down on her bed next to Amy, now clothed in her pajamas.

Victoria chuckled. "The news? Really? Why don't you just get it on the internet like everyone else."

"Believe it or not, it's still a good source to get local information." Amy replied. "I bet this is way more informative than whatever's going on in your Snapchat and Instagram feed."

"Heh, I highly doubt that." Victoria said as she started playing with her phone, completely ignoring the television set in her room.

 _Good evening Brockton Bay, I'm Jeff McAvoy, and you're watching the Channel 10 WJAR evening news. Our top story tonight is a tale of shocking corruption and abuse of power at our very own PRT and Wards branch. As citizens of Brockton Bay, we rely on our heroes, the PRT, the Wards, and the Protectorate, to protect us from harm. But what happens when one of these heroes becomes our tormentor?_

"Holy shit," Amy muttered. "Vicky! Check this out!"

The two sisters began watching the news broadcast with rapt attention, though after a few minutes Victoria began furiously tapping away at her phone.

"What are you doing?" Amy asked.

"You have to go to the internet to get the _full_ story." Victoria answered.

A few more minutes passed as they watched the news report detail the list of documents and evidence that they had uncovered.

"The Ward they're talking about is Shadow Stalker." Victoria said, her eyes still glued to her phone.

Amy snorted in response. "No surprise there. I always thought she was a bitch."

"And… holy shit!" Victoria gasped. "The girl they bullied is Taylor!"

"What? As in the Taylor that goes to our school and sits with us at lunch?" Amy asked.

"Yeah, Taylor Hebert." Victoria said. She leapt off her bed and hovered towards her closet.

"What are you doing?" Amy asked, as Victoria pulled a hoodie on over her pajamas.

"I'm going to swing by Taylor's place and check up on her," Victoria responded.

"What? Now?" Amy asked incredulously. "It's late! And you just got home!"

"I'll be back in a bit. Don't wait up for me." Victoria flashed her sister a smile, and then she was gone, leaving Amy alone and fuming.


	22. Aria 4-1

**Aria – 4.1**

March 24th, 2011

The news broadcast outing my bullying at the hands of a Ward had come as a complete shock to me. They didn't actually name any names, but I knew immediately they were talking about me when they brought up the locker incident at Winslow. My first thought, embarrassingly, was that Madison Clements was Vista. Aging her cape persona down a few years was the perfect way to disguise the petite terror's civilian identity! I certainly felt foolish when Madison called me moments later to insist that she had no idea that Sophia was Shadow Stalker.

Vicky had also swung by the night of the broadcast to comfort me. I finally knew why nobody lifted a finger to help me at Winslow. The administration had looked the other way just to keep their pet psychopath happy. After all, who cares if a poor dockworker's daughter gets tormented and abused, as long as their track star and Ward was sated?

I was angry of course, but I was also humiliated. The second worst day of my life and the most embarrassing thing that had ever happened to me was plastered all over the internet for everyone to gossip about. I was skipping school today, and Dad had called in sick for me, but I had a feeling he wasn't going to let me miss too much more time. Dad was angry about the whole situation too of course, and he seemed to be channeling his anger by spending even more time at work and meeting with lawyers to see if we had a case against the PRT. So far it wasn't looking too promising.

I was so upset that it robbed me of the joy of obtaining new powers. Thinking back on it, perhaps choosing my new powers while I was in such a bad headspace wasn't the best idea, as I ended up picking a power that would let me speak with animals, and one that would let me turn myself or others into different animals. It doesn't seem like something that would be very useful, but Mrs. Fluffypaws needed to be taken down a peg.

Ever since I turned her invisible and accidentally stepped on her, the furry feline had been an absolute pest. She was constantly invading our backyard and pooping all over the place. I thought that cats only pooped indoors or something, but Mrs. Fluffypaws had it out for me. I might not be able to deal with Shadow Stalker right now, and my social life at school was a complete disaster, but I could definitely take care of one aggravating cat. With my new power, I was going to set the little beast straight. Not that this was the only reason I picked this power though. With it, every animal in Brockton Bay could potentially be my eyes and ears. The potential for scouting and reconnaissance was amazing – at least that's what I told myself when regret started to set in.

I had built a catnip lure for her in my backyard, and I was just sitting around near the back door, waiting for her to show up. Yep, this is what I skipped school for. At least I had my phone to keep me occupied, though I wasn't liking what I was seeing online. Shadow Stalker had done a runner and left the Wards, and apparently she was operating as some kind of vigilante now. She had posted some kind of bizarre manifesto or statement online, ranting about how she was going to clean up the city and take down villains. It was all bullshit to me. Sophia was clearly a villain, yet some of the nutbags on PHO were actually supporting her! Apparently dark and edgy antiheroes were a thing now. I guess I shouldn't be so surprised, considering that other villains like Hellhound or Uber and Leet had their own fan followings as well. I still had more twitter followers than them (or at least Katy did), so take that, villains!

Eventually, I heard rustling in the backyard, so I went outside to check. Sure enough, Mrs. Fluffypaws had invaded again, and was trying to reach the catnip lure that I had set up. Using the catnip as bait, I lured her into my house again. I mean, I didn't want anybody to see me talking to a cat outdoors. I wouldn't want anyone to think I was crazy. I called on my power and activated my new ability.

"Mrs. Fluffypaws," I whispered to the cat, while simultaneously telling myself that I wasn't a crazy person. "Can you understand me?"

The cat perked up and stared at me. I guess the power was working.

"Oh? What's this?" Mrs. Fluffypaws spoke in a pompous British accent. That… wasn't too surprising I suppose. "One of the servant race has learned to understand my kind?"

"What? Servant race?" I asked in disbelief. "What the heck are you talking about?"

"Oh dear, you appear to be… simple-minded." Mrs. Fluffypaws sighed dramatically. "You see, there is a pecking order among the different creatures of this world, and your kind exists to serve mine."

"What?" I couldn't believe what I was hearing. This cat is insane. "Are you delusional? We don't exist to serve you. You're just a pet!"

The cat yawned contemptuously, as if already bored with dealing with me. "I lounge about all day doing whatever I want, while your race caters to my every whim. How else would you explain this?"

The nerve of this fleabag! "You.. what? Tha- no- that's not..."

"Don't hurt yourself there, dear. I suppose since you have gone to the trouble of learning my language," the stupid cat continued on, "I shall grant you a boon. What is it that you request of me, peasant?"

I glared at the cat. "You're going to stop invading my backyard and pooping all over the place!"

Mrs. Fluffypaws licked her paws for a seconds as she contemplated my request. Eventually she stopped grooming herself and looked up at me. "I refuse."

"What?" I asked. "You just said you would grant me a request!" Why am I negotiating with a cat? I have so many regrets in life.

"I changed my mind. I don't see why I should have to do anything you say." Mrs. Fluffypaws resumed licking her paws. "After all, you're just a servant."

This cat was even more infuriating when she could talk!

"Listen to me, you rotten little furball!" I hissed at her. "You'll obey me if you know what's good for you, or else I'm going to drag you to an ABB restaurant where they're going to chop you up and feed you to their gang members!"

Mrs. Fluffypaws looked at me blankly before responding. "Your threats are as empty as your bra cups."

I could feel my eyes twitch as I raised my right hand and pointed it towards Mrs. Fluffypaws. One of my energy blasts should teach this cat who's really on top of the food chain. Before I could blast the cat though, I was interrupted from my homicidal fugue by the doorbell. I went over to my front door and opened it, revealing Parian- no, Sabah, since she was in her civilian guise.

"S-Sabah! Hi!" I managed to squeak out. What was she doing here?

She smiled at me. "Hi Taylor. I'm sorry, is this a bad time?"

Oh god. I suddenly realized that I probably looked like a complete mess. I was still wearing my sleep clothes, and I hadn't even brushed my hair or washed my face all day. I tugged at the hem of my running shorts nervously. Maybe it was time to invest in real pajamas.

"What? Uhh, no! Come in!" I replied, stepping back to let Sabah enter.

Mrs. Fluffypaws had followed me into the foyer and looked at the sudden intrusion. "Who is this new servant?" Mrs. Fluffypaws asked. "I see she appears to be a kinsman. I approve of her presence. Tell her that I demand a belly rub from her."

"Shut up Mrs. Fluffypaws!" I hissed at the dumb cat. She's not actually _Persian_. Well, neither of them are!

Sabah looked at me with one eyebrow raised. How do people control their eyebrows separately like that? I blushed when I realized that I must look like a crazy person. This was not going well.

"It's… uhh… not…" I sighed. There really was no explaining this. "Would you like some tea?"

Sabah laughed softly in response and followed me towards the kitchen.

"I didn't know you had a cat," Sabah said to me, as I bustled about the kitchen. I already had a kettle on the stove, so it was just a quick reheat away from being ready.

"Mrs. Fluffypaws? She's not mine. She belongs to my neighbor, and the rotten little fleabag won't stay out of our backyard."

"Oh… well she's cute." Sabah said. I narrowed my eyes at Mrs. Fluffypaws. Sabah didn't understand how evil the little furball actually is.

"Hey, servant!" Mrs. Fluffypaws purred at me. "Tell my kinsman that I want a bellyr-"

I shut that particular power down before Mrs. Fluffypaws could finish the rest of her sentence, and her voice immediately reverted back to indecipherable purrs. Much better this way.

"Earl Grey OK?" I asked.

"Yes, with milk or cream please." She replied.

We sat down together at my kitchen table, with tea mugs in hand now. Tea really made everything better.

"So… how are you doing?" Sabah asked.

I shrugged halfheartedly. "Fine I guess. I'm never going back to school, of course, so I should have a lot of free time coming up."

"Oh sweetie..." Sabah replied, with a hint of sadness in her voice. "You can't just quit school."

"Yeah, I know." I sighed. As much as I wanted to, just quitting school and running away would be incredibly irresponsible. I was at Arcadia now. Even at its worst, it was still probably better than any day at Winslow. "Does it get better in college at least?" I asked.

Sabah stared at her mug of tea intently and didn't answer. Well, that was comforting.

"Sure, college can be better." Sabah replied after a pause. "It might just take a while for you to find your place, but you'll have a lot more opportunities in college to."

"Was fashion something you always wanted to do?" I asked. It was hard to picture Sabah as anything other than the fashionista I knew her as.

Sabah laughed softly. "No, not at all. Like I said, took me a while to get there. I was an engineering major at first before I changed to fashion design."

"Really? Engineering? That's hard for me to imagine."

"What, you don't think I could be good at math?" She asked indignantly.

"What? No! That's not what I meant," I said quickly. "I'm sorry!"

Sabah giggled at my sputtering. "Relax, Taylor. I'm just kidding with you."

I pouted at her. "That was mean!"

"Aww, I'm sorry. But yeah, engineering wasn't... a great fit for me," Sabah said with a frown. "I switched to fashion design my sophomore year, and college has been much more fun since then. My power lets me cheat a little when I'm Parian, but I have to still learn all the skills as Sabah too."

I had a feeling there was more to the story, but I didn't want to push. I was grateful that Sabah was treating me normally and wasn't prying about what had happened with Sophia.

"Um, while you're here, I have something to ask you." I said, changing the subject. Sabah looked at me inquisitively. "Glory Girl and I are sort of… starting a team. We've been patrolling together and stuff like that. Anyways, we're looking to add another like-minded hero to our team, and we were wondering if you wanted to join us? I know you're probably not interested, but I just thought I'd throw the offer out there."

"Oh..." Sabah hesitated a bit. "I'm sorry, but I really don't want to get involved like that. Not that I don't appreciate what heroes like you do, but I really don't like fighting."

"I completely understand," I quickly replied. "Just thought I'd throw the offer out there. You have a business to run, and after what happened with Lung..."

She smiled at me. "I'd still love to help if you guys ever need costumes or outfits or anything like that. I'll give you guys a big discount. And if you ever need me for a PR event, I'd be willing to help out."

"I'll probably take you up on that. Calle's been getting on my case about getting different costumes for different occasions."

"Oh, I completely agree!" Sabah said. "You should've let me design a new outfit for your upcoming mini-concert at the Boardwalk festival."

"But I like how protective my current costume is." I protested. "No exposed skin, and spider-silk and Kevlar to stop bullets."

"Oh come on, nobody's going to attack you there," Sabah replied.

"Don't say that! You'll like jinx it or something."

"Jinx? Really?" Sabah asked. She was doing that thing with her eyebrow again. Note to self: see if I can do it in the mirror later.

"Knowing my luck, yeah." I replied. "I'm pretty sure I'm a magnet for trouble."

Sabah laughed. "You'll be fine. There's going to be so much security for the event. The whole point of the whole thing is to show how well the PRT protects us and how safe the area is."

Sabah was probably right. I should work on not being a Debbie Downer all the time. I don't think paranoia is a very attractive personality trait.

* * *

March 27th, 2011

I was awoken by the sound of knocking on my bedroom door. "Go away Dad!" I mumbled out from underneath my blankets.

"Not your Dad, Tay-Tay, and I don't think we're at that point in our relationship yet for those kinds of nicknames." What. That was definitely not Dad.

"Wha-" I struggled to sit up and blinked a few times to clear the drowsiness out of my eyes. Dad must have let Vicky in without telling me, although to be fair I was unconscious up until just a few seconds ago. "Wh-what are you doing?"

Vicky had kicked off her shoes and was crawling under my blankets. "Giving you a hug, silly." Vicky said. "You look like you need one."

Vicky wrapped her arms around me and pulled in tight for a hug. I struggled weakly for a few seconds but recognizing how futile it was, I gave up and decided to just enjoy the hug.

"I'm sorry this happened to you Taylor," Vicky said softly, "but you can't stay cooped up in here all day."

"I've left my room!"

"Job-related rehearsals don't count." Vicky replied. "You need to come back to school. The other girls at school all miss you too."

I scoffed. "Yeah right, I've seen the people making fun of me online. I don't expect school to be any different."

"Hey, yeah there are some jerks out there," Vicky protested, "but I wouldn't let anyone make fun of you at school. Besides, most people are sympathetic. You can't let a few trolls dictate your perception of everyone."

"I don't want people to pity me either!" I sighed. "Well it's not like I have a choice. Dad's not going to call in sick for me anymore, so I'll have to go back on Monday."

"That's the spirit!" Vicky said cheerfully. "Come on, let's get you out of this room. The Boardwalk festival is today, and you're supposed to be performing!"

"Ugh, I don't need to be there til the afternoon," I replied, burrowing further underneath my blankets. "And besides, wouldn't you rather go with your boyfriend?"

I could feel Vicky shrug behind me. "Well..." she said, "actually Dean and I are on a break right now."

"Wait, what?" I asked. That felt like it came out of nowhere. Dean and Vicky were Arcadia's number one power couple.

"Yeah, we've been fighting for a while now I guess, so we decided to take a break and cool off for a while. I'll probably take him back after he grovels a bit."

"Wow… that's… I'm sorry." I really didn't know what to say. "I had no idea. Why didn't you say anything?"

"You never seemed interested. Don't worry about it. We break up and get back together all the time."

I winced. Shit, was I a bad friend? Had I been so wrapped up in my own shit that I had completely missed any problems that Vicky was having? I guess somehow I had forgotten that friendship is a two way street. I knew that Amy had her own issues that she was struggling with too, and I had completely failed to make any headway into helping her.

"At least Amy is thrilled about it," Vicky continued speaking, "she never liked me and Dean together. Between you and me, I'm pretty sure she has a crush on him." Vicky giggled at the last part. I didn't think that was it, but I didn't have the heart to correct her.

"So what else have I missed?" I asked.

"Hmm…" Vicky pondered for a moment before responding. "Well, you probably know Shadow Stalker has done a runner. The PRT has issued an arrest warrant for her, so she's been laying low for now, but she was spotted taking down some Empire thugs a few nights ago. She bolted before the authorities got there."

"Ugh, freaking Sophia," I snarled. "If I ever run into her again, I'm taking her down."

Vicky was uncharacteristically quiet, and she had a hesitant look on her face.

"What?" I asked. "You don't think I should?"

"Umm, if you want to, I'll totally have your back," Vicky replied quickly. "But you should know that it'll be… frowned upon by some members of our community."

"What do you mean?"

"Call it part of the unwritten rules, or just professional courtesy, but independent heroes usually don't go after each other." Vicky explained.

"Sophia Hess is not a hero!" I hissed at her.

"I know, but that usually applies to vigilantes as well, which is what people think of her right now. It's why none of the independents have gone after Vengent. We usually leave it to the PRT when they get... overzealous. I just wanted you to know that you may burn some bridges if you go after her."

"I don't care. If I see her, I'm taking her down. She's a villain." I replied heatedly. Sophia had gotten away with so much shit already. I don't think I could just let her go, even if I wanted to.

"And I'll be there to support you. I always thought she was a bitch anyways." Vicky said, smiling at me. I felt a swell of gratitude towards her. Vicky really was a good friend.

"Ooh, speaking of the Wards," Vicky continued speaking, "there's new heroes in town! Weld and Hunch are supposed to start at Arcadia on Monday I think, but the best part is that Mouse Protector is here!"

Vicky was almost giddy with excitement. I vaguely recalled Vicky telling me that she was a big fan of Mouse Protector when we first met. I snorted in amusement. "Seriously, Vicky? Don't go all fangirl on me now, and over Mouse Protector?"

"Hey, Mouse Protector is awesome!" Vicky said defensively. "She was like, one of the original Wards! Besides, there's nothing wrong with picking a _suitable_ theme and sticking with it. You could learn a lesson from her."

"What? What's that supposed to mean?"

"Oh come on," Vicky said, rolling her eyes. "You're clearly a spellcaster of some kind, like Myrddin. You should embrace it, instead of doing all the mental gymnastics you do to call it something else. It would be better than people thinking you're some kind of power stealer."

"I'm not a wizard!" I protested. "Just because we don't understand how powers work doesn't mean it's magic."

"Who cares if it's actually magic." Vicky argued. "We've spent thirty years studying it and still know absolutely nothing. Besides, it's more about branding and creating a strong, identifiable image. The whole cape thing is a little bit silly anyways. Fully grown adults dressing up in costumes and calling themselves by strange nicknames – embracing a strong theme is just another way of divorcing your civilian identity from your cape identity. If I wasn't already unmasked, you'd bet your tight little butt that I'd be out there hamming it up with Mouse Protector and Myrddin."

I had to admit that Vicky could be persuasive. She was a lawyer's daughter after all. Well, so was Emma, but Vicky had more working brain cells. "Ugh, but I don't want to be a wizard," I said.

"Well you don't have to be, but you can be… a magical girl!" Vicky said, giggling.

I groaned. "Are you serious? That's even worse!"

"No wait, you can be a magical idol girl!" Vicky said, fully laughing now. "Idol by day, justice bringer at night! You can even make sparkle effects with that illusion spell of yours!"

"Please leave my house."

"Yep, that's the idea, and you're coming with me." Vicky yanked my blanket off, and scooped me up out of the bed effortlessly. I squeaked out and flailed around, but it wasn't like I could do anything to Vicky's super strength. I wonder if she would still have her powers if I turned her into a frog.

Thankfully, she set me back down onto the ground and pushed me towards my closet. "Go get ready," Vicky ordered. "Your dad was making bacon, so I'm going to go get some."

I rolled my eyes, but went about my morning ablutions.

* * *

The Boardwalk was already bustling when Glory Girl and I arrived. There were still some signs of damage from our fight with Lung, and some of the destroyed storefronts were still closed, but overall the mood was brighter than usual. There were more stalls out than usual though. Looking around, I could see stalls selling funnel cakes and cotton candies, face painting and caricature artists, and merchants selling various trinkets and souvenirs. There were also various festival games being operated, such as the milk bottle and bean bag game, dart and balloons game, and a various others. I think I even saw a goldfish scooping game.

There was a stage set up near one end of the Boardwalk for the various performers, including myself, and press statements of the day. I think the Mayor was scheduled to make an appearance, as well as the official introduction of Mouse Protector and the new Wards.

The crowds of people wandering about all seemed to be enjoying themselves. I also noticed that the Protectorate and Wards were out in force. I already spotted Assault and Velocity patrolling on foot, as well as Aegis and Kid Win flying by overhead. Security was obviously a top priority for today's event, and I didn't doubt that there were even more heroes lurking about that I didn't immediately see.

The first thing Vicky did upon our arrival was pull her cellphone out and start tapping away.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"Tweeting. Here, check it out." Vicky said, showing me her phone screen.

 _ **Glory Girl**_ _(a)Glory_Girl  
Come join us at the Boardwalk Festival today, and see (a)Nightingale's debut as a Magical Idol Girl!_

"Why do I put up with you," I muttered under my breath. "You're lucky I like you."

"Please, you _looove_ me." Vicky replied with a cheeky grin. "Now come on, I want to buy a funnel cake. And Amy should be meeting us here soon."

With that, Vicky grabbed my arm and started dragging me along with her. We attracted a lot of attention as we wandered down the Boardwalk in costume. We were stopped numerous times for autograph and photo requests. I quickly grew annoyed and wanted to tell them all to bugger off, but Vicky simply smiled brightly each time and agreed. She definitely was more adept at dealing with all of this than I was, though she did have a lot more practice.

We even ran into some of our classmates at Arcadia that I've met before as Taylor, and had to reintroduce myself as my cape persona. I briefly considered faking a British accent or something, but that would've been foolish since there was already video of me speaking on the internet.

Eventually, we found Amy trying her luck at the milk bottle game. Unlike her sister, Amy wasn't in costume and was wearing a simple outfit consisting of a plain yellow t-shirt, jeans, and sneakers. I watched Amy wind up and toss the softball at the arranged milk bottles. The ball actually hit one of the milk bottles, which teetered a bit but remained upright.

"Ames!" Vicky yelled, waving her arms wildly.

"Hi Amy," I greeted her. "Are you having fun?"

Amy frowned. "I guess. I think this game is rigged though That throw was right on target."

"What were you trying to win?" Vicky asked. Amy pointed to a large stuffed yellow duck in response. It was cute, though oddly chubby. And it was clutching it's head.

Vicky slapped a bill on the counter, and received a hesitant look from the game worker, who appeared to be a young male college student, in response.

"Uhh, I don't think-" the worker started to protest.

"Is there a problem?" Vicky asked icily, as she glared daggers at the game worker.

"No! No problem." The poor worker replied hastily, as he handed Vicky one of the softballs.

Vicky took aim, and unleashed the softball at what felt like speed of sound. The ball slammed into the arranged pyramid of milk bottles with thunderous force, and sent all of them flying off into random directions.

"Whoo!" Vicky cheered, as she performed a fist pump. "I'll take the duck."

"But… you… you can't do that!" The worker sputtered as he looked around nervously.

"I said, I'll take the duck." Vicky repeated firmly as she glared at the him.

The worker blanched and quickly grabbed the stuffed duck and handed it over.

"Thanks Vicky!" Amy said, as she hugged her new stuffed animal.

"Anytime, Ames." Vicky replied, before turning to me. "What do you want, Nightingale? I'll win you something too."

"Limit one per customer!" The game worker squeaked out before I could answer.

"Let's just move on, Vicky." Amy said, stopping her sister from escalating the situation. Aww, I kinda wanted one of stuffed animals. There was a bright orange dog with black stripes that looked cute.

After walking a little, we found Parian in front of her store. The Dollhouse was still undergoing repairs, but she had a stall out front that she was manning, while at the same time entertaining children on the Boardwalk with her large animal puppets. We swung by and said hello, but she couldn't abandon her stall to hang out with us. She did promise to be there for my performance later onstage.

We made our way over to the stage next, and were just in time to catch the introduction of the new Wards. The two new Wards from Boston were both Case-53s. Weld looked like a large metallic statue, and his introduction went smoothly. He was a proficient public speaker, and he looked at ease addressing the large crowd. Hunch on the other hand looked a bit more apprehensive on stage. Unlike his peer, he was rather short and squat, with an unfortunate hunched back. His costume consisted of long flowing robes, and covered most of his body. I felt a bit sorry for the two of them. I could take my costume off anytime, and even if being Taylor Hebert wasn't all that great, I could still lead a relatively normal life. I was grateful that my trigger event hadn't warped my body in such a fashion.

We wandered around the Boardwalk a bit more, sampling sugary snacks and playing certainly rigged carnival games. Vicky ended up eating three funnel cakes and a big stick of cotton candy. It was a nice distraction from the more somber events of my life recently, and I was enjoying my time with Vicky and Amy.

Eventually, I said goodbye to the other girls and made my way over to the staging area. A couple of other local musicians were also performing, and I had fun listening to them while I waited. Soon enough, it was my turn. I swallowed nervously as I walked out on stage.

"Hello Brockton Bay!" I called out to the crowd. "I am Nightingale."

There were numerous cheers as I introduced myself, which was still weird to me. I was surprisingly popular in Brockton Bay, despite the relatively short amount of time that I had been active. I guess all of Calle's PR work was paying off.

"Thank you all for showing up today. The Brockton Bay boardwalk isn't just an attraction, it's an institution. As most of you are aware, I was involved in the incident a few weeks ago that caused so much damage to our Boardwalk. I regret so much damage was done to such an integral part of our community. Crime and villains may be a serious problem here in Brockton Bay, but your presence here today shows something important. That we're not afraid to find mirth and happiness in our lives. That this city does not belong to the criminals. It belongs to you all: the honest, hardworking citizens of Brockton Bay. So thank you all for being here today!"

The crowd gave a small cheer at my speech, and I made a mental reminder to thank Katy for helping me with it. With that, I began to sing. Despite how nervous I felt at first, it all faded away when I began singing. I didn't bother keeping my… magic out of my voice. Many of the people who came today to see me probably had some small sickness or injury, and hopefully my singing could make at least some of them feel better.

Singing in front of the crowd was exhilarating. There was more people than I expected in the crowd. Thousands of people must have turned out today for the festival. Sure, I had rehearsed at home and onstage the day before, but with a giant crowd facing me, the experience was completely different. The crowds that I sang to at the hospital were all so much smaller.

As I was finishing up my set, I decided to take Vicky's advice and create a bit of a visual show as well. I called upon my illusion ability, and created a large swirling snowstorm around myself that filled a good portion of the stage. The crowd oohed and gasped as I started the illusion. The swirling snowstorm coalesced into large crystalline snowflakes all around me, which I then dissolved into sparkly explosions of glitter and diamond dust. The crowd went wild at my finale, and cheered loudly as I bowed and exited the stage.

My heart was pounding as I walked off the stage. Despite my trepidation at the beginning, performing in front of such a large crowd was a ton of fun and gave me quite the rush. I don't think I'd mind doing that again at all.

* * *

 **Cantrips (unlimited castings)**

· **Mage Hand** – creates a spectral hand that allows Taylor to manipulate objects within 30 feet of her, or allow her to pick up an item up to 10 pounds in weight.

· **Minor Illusion** – allows Taylor to create an illusory sound or image. Sounds can be any voice or sound that Taylor can imagine, and the volume can range from a whisper to a scream. Visual illusions must be no larger than a 5 foot cube, and can't create smell, light, sound, or other sensory effects.

· **Prestidigitation** – a collection of minor magical tricks, such as creating a minor sensory affect, cleaning or soiling a small object, lighting or snuffing out a small fire, creating various small illusions, and other small effects.

· **Eldritch Blast** – fires beams of intense energy at a target. The spell creates more beams at higher levels.

 **Level 1 Spells**

· **Thunderwave** – generates a thunderous blast of force up to fifteen feet out in front of Taylor, hurting and knocking back everything in her path. Generates a thunderous boom audible up to 300 feet away.

· **Sleep** – causes people or creatures in an area up to 120 feet away from Taylor to fall asleep. Can be resisted by those of strong fortitude and constitution.

· **Cure Wounds** – a person or creature that Taylor touches rapidly regenerates towards a healthy state.

· **Speak with Animals** – Taylor temporarily gains the ability to communicate with animals.

 **Level 2 Spells**

· **Invisibility** – Taylor or a person that Taylor touches becomes invisible for up to an hour. The effect ends when an offensive action is taken. Requires concentration.

· **Lesser Restoration** – a person that Taylor touches is cured of one disease or ailment.

· **Detect Thoughts** – lets Taylor read the surface thoughts of people around her? Or is it just a form of super-effective cold reading? Taylor isn't sure. Requires concentration.

 **Level 3 Spells**

· **Major Image** – allows Taylor to create an incredibly realistic illusion no larger than a 20 foot cube. These illusions can move and seem completely real, and even sounds and smells real. These illusions can even generate heat or chill, but not enough to cause bodily harm. Physical interaction with the illusion reveals it to be just an illusion though. Requires concentration.

· **Fly** – Taylor or a person Taylor touches gains the ability to fly for a short duration. Requires concentration.

 **Level 4 Spells**

· **Polymorph** – allows Taylor to shapechange another creature or herself into a new animal form. Unwilling creatures can resist the change if their mental fortitude is strong enough.

 **Other Abilities**

· **Song of Rest** – Taylor can imbue her voice with her power, and people who are resting while listening to her sing regain health more quickly than normal.

* * *

 **AN**

 **.**

Ah yes, we have arrived at the "Festival Episode" of this story. All we're missing is Vicky or Sabah winning a goldfish for Taylor. Coming up next: the beach vacation episode, the hot spring trip episode, and the combat tournament episode. Or not.

This is the last of the pre-written chapters, so updates will slow a bit now. I've been fairly consistent with my writing speed so far, so I aim to keep up with at least 1 chapter a week. Thanks everyone for reading and reviewing! I do read every single review, and they are definitely appreciated. Some notes/responses:

\- I believe Piggot never got healing from Panacea was because she didn't want to put herself in a position where she "owed" an independent team, and didn't even want to invite the slightest appearance of bribery/favoritism. Or maybe she just hates parahumans.

\- The news broadcast didn't actually list any of the names of the parties involved. That was all the internet after it was broadcasted.

\- The fancy bow isn't too useful for Taylor right now since she doesn't have any training, but it'll serve a purpose eventually.


	23. Aria 4-2

**Aria – 4.2**

March 28th, 2011

School on Monday wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Of course, there were still a bit of gossip and stares, and a few students even had the temerity to ask me what it was like to be bullied by Shadow Stalker. I simply glared at them until they got the hint. Taking a few days off had helped, as the story had died down at least a little bit. Plus, so many other things were going on. Weld and Hunch had transferred in and started school the same day I returned, so they took a fair bit of attention off of me, which I was grateful for.

The other big news story of the day was much more unpleasant. While most of the Protectorate and Wards were providing security for the Boardwalk festival last night, a gang fight broke out between the ABB and the Empire Eighty-Eight on the other side of town. About half a dozen non-powered gang members were killed, as well as three innocent bystanders. Panacea and I were called in by the PRT Sunday night after the Boardwalk festival to provide healing for some of the injured.

I was at my usual lunch table with Vicky, Amy, and the peanut gallery. The topic of conversation was unsurprisingly, the new heroes at Arcadia. Weld was confident and well spoken, and was immediately taken in with the popular boys crowd. We could see him sitting with Dean Stansfield and some of the other popular boys. Since Vicky and Dean were fighting now, they made sure to keep a couple tables of separation away. With his "statuesque" body, Weld also attracted a fair bit of attention from the girls as well. Hunch on the other hand, appeared to be significantly more reticent than Weld, and his physical change was more unfortunate as well. Apparently the two of them served together in Boston, so at least he had Weld to help him out socially. Oh god, that's not how people saw Vicky and I, was it?

"All I'm saying," Veronica said, "was that you'd have to be extra careful with _accessories_ around him."

"What do you mean?" Helen asked.

"Well, he absorbs everything metallic he touches right? Imagine trying to make out with him if you have your tongue pierced!"

"Or any kind of body piercing really," Jenny added. "You'd have to wear non-metal jewelry, or you couldn't even hold his hand without your rings getting ruined."

"And _handcuffs_ wouldn't work on him, if you know what I mean!" Helen said.

The three of them all burst out giggling. Vicky had an amused expression on her face, and Amy was trying to bury herself into her book. I could see her ears were red though, so I suspected that she was as embarrassed as I was about the conversation. This was not the kind of conversation I really wanted to be a part of, but at the same time I was selfishly glad that I wasn't the topic of discussion.

I stood up quickly. "Umm, I'm going to go to the library. I want to get a headstart on my homework."

Vicky stood up as well. "I'll go with you Taylor."

The rest of the girls looked disappointed, but I took the opportunity to flee as fast as possible. We walked a few feet away before Vicky can began speaking.

"Sooo… my birthday is in a few weeks," Vicky said.

"I know. I got your fancy invitation in the mail," I replied. Honestly, what kind of teenager sends out invitations with calligraphy for a birthday party?

"But I haven't gotten your RSVP yet." Vicky was pouting now. Ugh, I hate it when she pouts.

"What? I told you already I would be there."

"But you didn't send in your written RSVP yet."

I stared at her. Was she serious? "But-"

"Just send in your RSVP, OK?" Vicky said sweetly, interrupting my objections.

She phrased it like she was asking me, but I knew better by now. "Sure Vicky, I'll put it in the mail today."

"OK, great!" Vicky smiled brightly at me, and glanced around quickly to make sure that no one else was in hearing range. "So, are we still on for tonight?"

"Yes, we're all set," I replied quietly.

Vicky grinned at me. "Perfect."

* * *

Glory Girl and I landed in the deserted alleyway, a few minutes ahead of our scheduled meeting time. Insight had come through for us, and we were meeting one of the newer independent heroes in town. Moments later, Mistblade made her appearance. She started on the rooftop of the building next to us, and slid straight down the side of the building, using her feet and one of her outstretched arms to leave small grooves in the wall.

Mistblade was a tall girl, perhaps just an inch or two shorter than Glory Girl. Her costume looked like it was high quality, and definitely not something an amateur had just put together. She wore a blue bodysuit that revealed her fit and athletic build, with sleek armored segments covering various parts of her body. A visor hid the top half of her head, and her dark colored hair hung out the back in a ponytail. It was hard to tell due to the darkness and poor lighting, but I would guess she either had dark brown or black hair.

Across her back were a pair of Japanese swords strapped in the shape of an X. They weren't quite katanas, since they had straight blades instead of curved ones. I think they were called ninjatos? She had a fairly normal looking utility belt strapped around her waist like most capes. A small collapsible baton was attached to one hip, and she had what looked like a grappling hook gun attached to her other side. Rows of throwing darts were strapped across her upper thighs. I had to admit she looked pretty badass. She was practically oozing a sleek and dangerous aura.

"Hi there!" Glory Girl greeted the independent hero cheerfully. "Thanks for meeting with us."

"No problem," Mistblade replied. Her voice sounded young, and if I had to guess I'd peg her age at late teens or early twenties. "You guys are big deals here in Brockton Bay. Glad to finally make your acquaintances. I am curious as to why you wanted to meet me tonight, though."

"Well, we were impressed that you took down Stormtiger and drove off Cricket by yourself. We wanted to get to know you a little better," Vicky responded, "and see if we're compatible for a team-up."

"What?" Mistblade asked, incredulity in her voice. "Like, you want me to join New Wave?"

"Er, no, I mean team up with me and Nightingale," Glory Girl explained.

Mistblade turned and looked at me, and she had a slightly puzzled frown on her face. "I thought you were already a part of New Wave."

"Umm, no not really," I replied. "I mean, I'm pretty close with Vi-, Glory Girl, but I'm independent. Well technically I'm affiliated with the PRT as well, but they haven't asked me to do much healing."

"Well, I can see the appeal of teaming up," Mistblade said. "To be honest, your powersets would complement mine pretty well."

"Really? So what can you do exactly?" Glory Girl asked. "I'm your typical Alexandria package. I can fly, I can take a hit, and I hit hard. And Nightingale here is a magical idol girl," Glory Girl said, gesturing to me.

I sighed and glared at her. It doesn't seem like she was going to let it go.

"I know," Mistblade said, with an amused smile. "I was there for your performance at the Boardwalk."

"You were?" Funny, I didn't remember seeing her there.

"Well, not in costume," she replied quickly. Oh, duh. "But yeah, you were amazing up there."

"Oh. Th-thank you," I replied. I could feel my cheeks heating up. After Winslow, it was still weird hearing people compliment me.

"I should be thanking you. I felt amazing afterward. All of my bruises and scrapes completely healed up after listening to you sing."

"Ahem," Glory Girl interrupted. "Yes, she's amazing, but what about you? What do you do exactly?"

Mistblade paused and contemplated Vicky's question for a moment. "Well… it's hard to describe exactly. I guess the main thing is that I can cut through anything with my swords."

"Anything?" Glory Girl pressed on.

"Sure, everything I've tested on at least. Force fields, metals, Kevlar, organic materials. Nothing that I've tested has been able to resist my power."

"Wow… that sounds really powerful," I remarked.

"Yeah, it can be. I can imbue that effect into my throwing darts too, which gives me decent range options. It's a great anti-brute effect, but it's a bit too dangerous to use freely on your average non-powered gangbanger. You guys have an easier time when it comes to that. I also have a couple of other physics-related tricks."

"Yeah, I don't think we need much convincing that your powers are useful," Glory Girl said. "Hmm..."

"OK, what else do you want to know?" Mistblade asked us.

"Well, I think goals and motivation would be a good place to start. Nightingale, why don't you go first."

"Err... umm…" I shot Glory Girl an annoyed glare. Way to put me on the spot there.

"She's usually more eloquent than this. Come on, Nightingale!" Vicky prodded me with her hand.

"Ahem." I cleared my throat and thought about what I wanted to say. "Well, I was born and raised here in Brockton Bay. From what my parents say, this city wasn't always like this. It used to be a thriving city, with a robust shipping economy and large amounts of tourists every summer. Brockton Bay is my home, and I want to help make it a better place. I know that my abilities aren't exactly front-line focused, but I can't sit back and do nothing. The ABB commits heinous crimes, and the Empire… well I hate the fact that the Empire is even here. They are an embarrassment to my city. I hate that Brockton Bay gets labeled as one of the Nazi capitals of the United States."

"That's very admirable, Nightingale," Mistblade said to me.

"Well said!" Glory Girl exclaimed, before turning to Mistblade. "Now, your turn. You're not from Brockton Bay originally, right? What brings you to our neck of the woods."

Mistblade frowned at that. "What makes you think I'm not from here?"

"Well, you've only been on the scene for a short while, and you already have a pretty professional looking costume." Glory Girl tapped her chin a bit as she articulated her argument. "Also, you must have had training already, considering you were able to take down one of the experienced Empire capes already without getting too hurt. Your power might be strong, but it's not one that simply lets you overpower your opponents."

Mistblade stared at Glory Girl for a moment. "Hmm, you're pretty observant."

"Yup, not just another dumb blonde here!" Glory Girl replied, with a rueful chuckle.

"You don't have to answer anything too personal," I added quickly. "Just… it would be helpful to know what kind of hero you're trying to be."

Mistblade nodded. "I understand. Don't worry, I'm not one of the crazies. I'm here… for Lung. I want to take him down. But I'm not just in it for revenge. I'm going to do this the right way."

"You want to take Lung on?" Glory Girl asked in disbelief. I had to agree with Glory Girl's sentiment. So far she wasn't doing a great job of convincing us that she wasn't crazy. "Your power might be good against Brutes… but Lung isn't just strong and durable. When I fought him, I thought if I could just grab him before he ramped up, I'd be able to toss him into the sea or something. He's crazy fast, and he's really tough to pin down.

"I know how dangerous he is. As you can see, it's not like the first thing I did when I got here was walk up to his front door and challenge him to a duel. I've had a lot of training from when I was with the Wards. I know what I'm doing."

"You were in the Wards?" I asked.

"Yeah, in New York under a different name, and briefly in Chicago before that," Mistblade responded. "I learned a lot there, but it was apparent that they were never going to let me actually face Lung. I actually requested to get transferred here a few times, but was always denied. I ended up getting emancipated instead, and moved here a few months ago. I've been busy since then, scoping out the ABB's supply routes and major operation houses."

"Why don't you just give your information to the PRT?" I asked. I wasn't the biggest fan of them at the moment, but this was their job.

"I will, but the PRT can't afford to act decisively. They have to maintain the status quo. They're too worried about starting a gang war, or getting weakened enough that they can't stop the Empire from taking over the city. Besides, the PRT in general tends not to work with independent heroes except in emergencies, and the local Director, Piggot, is especially hard on independents."

Glory Girl snorted. "You got that right," she muttered unhappily. "New Wave is one of the most powerful teams in town when we're all together, and the PRT almost never asks us for help. Hell, Piggot even banned me from patrolling with the Wards."

"I want the ABB gone as much as anyone else does, but I don't know if starting a gang war is the right play," I said. There had been a few big gang wars in Brockton Bay within my lifetime, but most of them were so long ago that I didn't really remember them. I wasn't comfortable with being responsible for that kind of mayhem.

"If we play our cards right, there hopefully won't be much of one." Mistblade replied. "I've been working with Insight to try to get a workable plan together. Lung is the ABB's main power base and the glue that holds the ABB together. If he gets removed from the equation, we're willing to bet the rest of the gang will fold pretty quickly. I think… any fallout that would result would be worth being rid of the ABB. I've seen the full extent of their operations. What they do here is disgusting."

"You have to break a few eggs to make an omelet, huh?" Glory Girl chimed in.

I was still hesitant about Mistblade's idea. I promised my dad that I wouldn't do anything stupid, and picking a fight with the ABB capes seemed like it would be breaking that promise.

Mistblade sighed. "Look, I haven't been in Brockton Bay for very long, but even I can tell it's dying a slow death. The PRT measures its victories and defeats in terms of villains captured or escaped, but that's not what the real defeats are here in Brockton Bay. The real defeats are each time the Merchants gets their hooks into a productive citizen, it's each Black or Jewish family that the Empire beats up and forces to move away, and it's each girl that the ABB kidnaps into sexual slavery. I can't promise that nobody's going to get hurt, but things have to change if you want this city to get better."

Mistblade spoke with a quiet intensity that seemed at odds with her youthfulness. I knew what she was saying was true, and I even agreed with her. What was my hangup then? Was I just scared to actually get into a real cape fight? I'd be stupid not to be. But I think I was more scared of actually being responsible for and bloodshed that occured. If the PRT or New Wave had triggered the fight instead, I knew I would gladly help out. Did that make me as bad as all the other people I railed against for not doing their part in making this city a better place?

"Still, taking down Lung is easier said than done," I replied.

"Honestly?" Mistblade commented, "I'm pretty confident that I can hold my own against Lung, but the ABB has half a dozen capes, and I match up pretty poorly against several of them. I'm not a Brute, and I'm not as mobile as a real Mover. Oni Lee is a nightmare to face with his suicide bomber clone trick, and Shikigami is a bad match-up for me with her long ranged area effect. If that wasn't bad enough, now they have a crazy tinker building bombs for them."

"And that's where we come in?" I asked.

"Sure, if you're willing. We'll still be relying on the PRT for the heavy lifting, and Insight thinks Armsmaster may have something that can stop Lung. Still, I think if I can get to him while he's not ramped up and without his backup, I'm pretty confident I can take him down."

"Taking down the ABB would be, ahem," Glory Girl said, pausing for dramatic effect, " _glorious_! Count me in for that!"

I groaned at the awful pun. "Didn't your Mom forbid you from fighting Lung?"

Glory Girl actually blushed heavily, which was adorable. "What? No! Shut up! I can fight who I want."

Oh my god, it was actually fun being on the other side of the teasing. I could even understand why Vicky was constantly doing it now to me.

Mistblade cleared her throat. "Ahem, take some time to think about it, but if you want to bust some ABB drug dealers now, there's a deal that's going to take place a few blocks away."

She didn't even need to ask. Glory Girl and I were definitely amenable to taking down some drug dealers. Mistblade pulled out her grappling gun and launched the grapple towards the rooftop, which pulled her up swiftly and smoothly. Glory Girl and I flew upwards and began following Mistblade as she traversed across the rooftops. Mistblade took a few running steps forward and then began to slide across the rooftop, as if she was on ice. When she reached the edge, she leapt across the narrow gap between the buildings and landed in a well-practiced roll on the other rooftop before repeating the process. A few blocks later, Mistblade came to a stop and hunkered down. Glory Girl and I landed softly next to her.

"Neat trick," I complimented her.

Mistblade grinned at me in response. "Thanks, took a while to figure that one out, but it definitely makes traveling a bit easier. Still, I wish I could fly like you girls can."

"So, how do you afford Insight's fees?" Glory Girl asked, as we settled on the rooftop to wait.

"How do you?" Mistblade asked back.

"I don't," Glory Girl replied, before pointing at me. "But Princess over here is loaded. She has Insight on retainer."

I rolled my eyes. It irked me a little that Vicky, the popular daughter of a lawyer, was calling me rich, but… I guess she was right. I had made a lot of money already, even if I hadn't been spending most of it. Well, besides the lightsaber that cost more than the annual salary of most of Brockton Bay's residents.

Mistblade shrugged. "I trade information with her on what I find out about the ABB. And… well, I suspect Overwatch also pays her to help some of the independent heroes in town."

"Overwatch?" I still didn't know much about the reclusive person, besides that he was rumored to have sponsored some of the independents in town.

"When I first got here, he contacted me and offered to sponsor me to be a hero," Mistblade explained. "I turned him down because I didn't need the money, and well… the whole thing was a bit suspicious."

"Hmmm… anyways, what are we dealing with here?" I asked.

"An ABB supplier is going to be meeting and resupplying some of their street level dealers with drugs. Mostly weed and crack, but maybe some heroin. We call the cops when they arrive, and bust them up and have them ready to be picked up before the cops even get here. I've been sticking to these smaller busts where there isn't likely to be any ABB cape presence lately."

"How do you collect all your intel?"

"Well… that's a story for another time I suppose," Mistblade whispered. "I think they're starting to show up."

I watched a pair of men enter the alleyway below us from my spot on the roof, and light up cigarettes as they conversed with each other in an Asian language I didn't understand. ABB gang members continued trickling in over the next few minutes, until there were around ten thugs in the alleyway below. They were all laughing and joking around down in the alley, and one of the ABB members was passing out Ziploc bags filled with product. Mistblade took the opportunity to pull a small burner phone out from her utility belt and placed a quick call the police.

"We take them down hard and fast. Don't give them a chance to call for backup," Mistblade said to us.

"I'll go in first," Glory Girl said. "Nightingale, stay up here and provide ranged support. Let's do this."

Glory Girl leapt over the edge of the roof and dived at the gathered group of ABB drug dealers. They noticed her right before she reached them, and not giving the thugs any time to react, Glory Girl slammed into the group like a bowling ball knocking over pins.

Mistblade had followed Glory Girl over the edge as well, and was sliding down the side of the building at a rapid speed, using her feet and one hand holding a dart to carve grooves into the side of the building to slow her descent. With her free hand, she pulled two throwing darts out and flung them towards the ABB gang members. Amazingly, each dart struck true, knocking a pair of handguns out of the hands of two different thugs. As she neared the ground, she leapt off the wall and pulled her collapsible baton out.

One of the thugs who managed to escape getting knocked down by the Glory Girl bowling ball had decided to bail on his friends and was trying to escape. A quick use of my Sleep spell… power… whatever, and the ABB gang member simply dropped to the floor mid-stride like a puppet with its cord cut.

I was going to join the main fight, but it seemed pretty unnecessary. Glory Girl was effortlessly tossing the non-powered thugs around, and Mistblade danced around the three thugs she was engaged with like a leaf in the wind, effortlessly dodging their strikes while raining down blows with her baton.

Mere moments later, all the ABB thugs were down on the ground, either knocked out cold or writhing in pain.

"I think that went pretty well," Mistblade said to me as I floated down to the ground level.

We pulled out zipties from our utility belts and started restraining the downed thugs.

"Uhh… I took out that guy," I said, pointing to the sleeping thug who tried to run earlier. I wasn't feeling very useful at the moment.

Glory Girl and Mistblade laughed lightly in response. "Well, that was fun," Glory Girl said to us.

"You learned all that in the Wards?" I asked Mistblade. She was definitely impressive in close combat, and she didn't even need to use her super swords. I was personally glad that we took them down without dismembered limbs and appendages flying all over the place.

"Yeah, mostly. I mean my power helps a bit too, but I've been training for years," Mistblade replied.

"Umm, do you think you could maybe show me some moves sometime?" I asked. I was still doing my self-defense classes, but Mistblade was clearly a level above that. I'd love to be able to fight like the way she did. I guess the pretty pathetic showing I up against Emma the other day also factored into my mind.

"I guess I could, but I have to warn you that I'll be a tough teacher," Mistblade replied hesitantly.

"Don't worry, I'm a hard worker," I insisted. "I can take a bit of punishment, and I really do want to learn to fight better."

"Well, if you don't mind ending up on your back a few times, I'd be happy to train you," Mistblade said with a grin.

"Oh, that's not a problem," I replied. "I can heal minor bruises and stuff really easily."

Glory Girl snorted in laughter next to me. "Of course you can. I think I might need to supervise these training sessions. Actually, if we're going to be working together, it'll probably be helpful if we all do some joint training together."

Several Brockton Bay Police cars pulled up then, interrupting any further conversation. We stuck around for a while, giving our statements and making sure all the ABB gang members were taken into custody without issue. Moments later, we were back on the rooftop.

Glory Girl smiled at the two of us. "Well girls, this was fun. We should do it again sometime."


	24. Aria 4-3

**Aria – 4.3**

March 31st, 2011

Insight: _How did the hero meeting go?_

Nightingale: _Not bad. She seems pretty cool._

Insight: _So, is there a team-up in your future?_

Nightingale: _I'm not sure, but I think so. Can I trust her?_

Insight: _My insight (heheh) says that she's genuine about being a hero and that she's probably not a crazy nutjob._

Nightingale: _How inspiring. What's her deal with Lung?_

Insight: _If you want to be friends with somebody, that seems like something you should ask directly instead of going to a private investigator._

Nightingale: _Fine, be that way._

Insight: _You know I'm right._

Nightingale: _I'll never admit that. Anyways, I have to go. I'll talk to you later._

I sighed and put my phone away as the secretary came out to greet me.

"Mr. Calle is ready for you now," his secretary said to me cheerfully.

I went into Calle's office with my meeting with Mistblade still heavy on my mind. The independent hero impressed me, both with her skill and her commitment to her cause. We both wanted to make the city a better place, and we had even exchanged a couple of texts since then. She was fun to talk to, and she did seem like a good person, but that didn't mean I wanted to help her start a gang war.

"Hey kid," Calle greeted me as I stepped into his office. "Good job at the festival last weekend."

"Ah, thanks. It was actually a lot of fun," I replied.

"Well that's good to hear, since I have more PR events lined up for you," Calle said. I resisted the urge to groan. "You should be happy to hear that the official video of your performance on your Youtube page already has nearly a million views."

"I have a Youtube page?" I asked. I shouldn't be surprised at this point. "Is Katy running that too?"

"Yep, Katy's a busy girl. There's not much on there yet, but eventually you might want to post a vlog, messages to your fans, or even just videos of you singing. We went ahead and got the name reserved early."

What the heck is a vlog? I didn't voice my question out loud though. I didn't want Calle to think I wasn't hip with whatever the cool internet stuff of the day was, so I just nodded along.

"Traffic on your website is steadily increasing as well," Calle informed me. "Donations are starting to trickle in on your website. Not a lot so far, but you've raised over a thousand dollars so far for your new foundation."

Raising money and donating money was probably one of the easiest things I could do to help the city. I had ultimately settled on a few different charities to support, including the local branch of the Make-A-Wish foundation, a charity that helped the homeless and needy of Brockton Bay, and even one that helped the abandoned pets and animals in Brockton Bay. I blamed those sappy TV commercials with the adorable puppies for the last one.

"Now, let's talk about getting your name out there some more," Calle said, with a mischievous grin. "I want you to do some schmoozing."

I groaned. Performing in front of an audience was one thing, but schmoozing was something else entirely. I could probably do a pretty good job at it if I had to, but I wasn't entirely comfortable being up close with too many people.

Calle chuckled at my response. "If you really want to make a difference in this town, then this is something that you have to deal with."

I sighed and nodded. "You're right. I'm grateful for your help with all this."

"Now, I have the perfect event for you. The Brockton Bay Foundation for the Arts is holding a fund-raising gala next month, and they've asked you to perform a song and maybe give a short remark."

What the hell? That was the total opposite of what I was looking for. "How is going to a snobby party for rich people going to do anything? I want to make a real difference, for something that actually matters."

"Of course," Calle began patiently, "but if you want to make a real difference, then these are the people whose support you need. The BB Foundation for the Arts might not be the most... impactful charity, but it is by far the most popular one among Brockton Bay's elite."

I frowned as Calle continued speaking.

"Their Board of Trustees include some of the richest and most powerful people in Brockton Bay, such as Max Anders, CEO of Medhall, Lucille Walter, founder of the Walter Real Estate Group, and of course, yours truly."

"Max Anders is a tool," I muttered under my breath. The wealthy businessman wasn't shy about sharing his political views publicly, almost all of which I disagreed with.

Calle laughed loudly at that. "No disagreement here. But think of all the other guests who will be there: the Mayor, Roy Christner, several members of the City Council, Gary Kain, the Brockton Bay Police Commissioner, and so on."

I hummed under my breath. "Yeah yeah, I get it. I'll do it."

"Hey, it's not like this is a pointless fluffy morning talk show interview. It's about putting you in a room with the most influential people in Brockton Bay, the type of people who can really help you with what you want to accomplish."

I chuckled in response. "Yeah, did you see the Wards interview on Channel 10 yesterday? So awkward when they started asking questions about Shadow Stalker."

"Yep. That said, how do you feel about doing a small interview with one of the local TV stations?" Calle asked.

I groaned. "Absolutely not. No. Well, maybe. Ugh, let me think about it."

"Well, maybe we can dress Katy up in your spare costume and send her there instead?" Calle suggested.

"I'm leaving now," I responded, giving him a halfhearted glare.

Calle laughed and held up his hands to placate me. "Alright, I'll tell Katy she doesn't have to dress up as you. I am going to ask Parian to put together something appropriate to wear for the fundraiser though."

That I could at least agree with. I definitely didn't have anything in my wardrobe that was appropriate for an event like this. And besides, I would be supporting a local business and a friend.

* * *

April 6th, 2011

"I'm not sure about this," Amy said to me.

It was windy on the rooftop we were standing on, and it was still early enough in the year that it was a bit chilly. Amy had seemed a bit down lately, so Vicky and I decided to do something to try to cheer her up. Thus, our presence on the roof after a night volunteering at Brockton Bay General Hospital.

"Don't worry, I've tested it out on myself and Vicky already," I replied. "It's perfectly safe."

Amy sighed and nodded. "Alright, I'm ready."

I smiled reassuringly at her and pointed my hand at her. I felt my power rise up within me, and after concentrating for a moment, directed it and released it towards Amy. "Polymorph," I whispered as I felt the power flow out of me.

I sagged a bit from the exertion. This newest power or spell really took a lot out of me. Amy shrank instantly, and transformed into a rather striking owl. Her new form had snowy white feathers, and she was a fair bit larger than any owl that I had seen in the wild. She hooted a few times, before flapping her new wings and flying straight up into the air. Vicky took off a second later, and followed her sister-owl into the air.

I sat down on the rooftop as I watched the two sisters fly through the air. I had to maintain concentration on Amy's transformation, so I couldn't join them in the air. Flying as a beast was a very different feeling than flying as a human. With my flight power, I could move through the air effortlessly with just a thought. As an owl, flying felt so much more… natural. Feeling the flap of my wings, gliding along air currents, it was a pleasant experience in a different way than my other form of flying. While transformed, all my human worries and tribulations seemed to fade away. I was still me, but my thoughts were more instinctual and animalistic. It was a nice break from being human.

Owl-Amy did a few loops through the air while her sister followed closely behind in the air. Then they began chasing each other and flying circles around each other. It looked like they were having fun. Flying was one of my favorite things to do, and I was happy to share it with Amy.

Sitting on the roof by myself gave me time to think. My life had been so hectic lately. Arcadia had a much heavier course load than Winslow, and I was actually trying now. On top of that, I was still keeping to my rigorous exercise schedule, healing clients and PR work with Calle, volunteering at the hospital, patrols with Vicky, and now potentially starting a gang war with Mistblade.

Vicky was on board with Mistblade's plan to preemptively strike at the ABB, despite my belief that her mom wouldn't allow her to fight Lung. I was keeping my dilemma from Dad, so I guess I didn't have any room to judge Vicky. Dad and I had been speaking to each other even less since the news report about Shadow Stalker had come out. I knew he had looked into maybe suing the PRT, but I don't think anything ever came of it. When that fell apart, he started spending more and more time at work

After a while, I was interrupted from my musings when a large owl followed by Glory Girl landed on the rooftop in front of me.

"Ready to turn back to Amy?" I asked the pair.

Owl-my hooted once, and bobbed her head. I took that as a yes, and let go of the transformation. The owl grew in size and changed back into Amy's human shape. Luckily, clothes were included as part of the transformation. I had no idea how that worked, but I wasn't complaining. Magic was as good of an explanation as anything. Amy had a large and genuine smile on her face as she finished transforming.

"That was amazing!" Amy exclaimed. "That was the most fun I've had in so long."

"I know, right?" I replied. "Nothing beats flying under your own power."

Vicky nodded in agreement. "You can say that again."

"Do you… do you think we can do this again sometime?" Amy asked.

"Sure, anytime you want," I replied.

"That was really cool of you," Vicky whispered to me as she wrapped me up in a hug. "Thanks for doing this."

"No problem," I murmured back. I wasn't naive enough to think that some avian therapy would solve all of Amy's issues, but I hoped it was a start. "Umm, Amy?" I asked nervously. She looked at me inquisitively. "Well, I figured it's about time… that I, you know, unmask."

"You don't have to do that," Amy replied. "It's kind of a big deal."

"No, I think I should," I said, trying to sound confident. "Vicky already knows my identity, and I don't like asking her to keep things from you."

With that said, I lowered my hood and slipped my mask off. She stared at me blankly for a moment. I stared back. "Oh!" she finally responded. "I'm so surprised!"

"You knew already, huh?" I asked, sighing. I shot Vicky a dirty look.

"I didn't tell her!" Vicky blurted out.

"She really didn't," Amy added. "I figured it out on my own. The two of you aren't really subtle with your sneaking around."

I felt myself flushing in embarrassment. Oh god, I wonder how many other people could figure out my secret identity? Why did I go with a domino mask? Maybe I should talk with Parian about getting something more concealing. I coughed nervously. "Anyways, it's nice to finally meet you… again."

Amy gave me a small smile. "You too, Taylor."

Vicky gave a cheerful squeal and lunged at the two of us, wrapping us up in a tight group hug. "Yay! This is awesome, you guys. We're going to have so much fun together."

* * *

April 10th, 2011

It turned out that all my deliberation and angst was pointless. The Empire Eighty-Eight had finally decided to retaliate for Stormtiger's death, and this past weekend saw the worst gang related violence in Brockton Bay in almost a decade. A dozen ABB gang members were killed after the Empire attacked one of their drug houses, and in response the ABB attacked a popular Empire nightclub downtown. A number of other skirmishes broke out all through town, and Panacea and I ended up getting called in by the PRT for healing.

Most of the casualties were either ABB or Empire gang members, but innocent civilians were still caught in the crossfire, as well as a number of PRT officers who were trying to keep the peace. The PRT and Protectorate were scrambling to put out all the fires, but they simply didn't have the manpower to take on both the Empire and the ABB at the same time. The non-powered gang members who usually wouldn't be carrying firearms were probably all carrying guns now, which made every encounter that much more dangerous.

The independent heroes of Brockton Bay were out in force to assist, including all of New Wave. Mistblade had met up with Glory Girl and the rest of New Wave, and they were out patrolling. I desperately wanted to join them, but unfortunately I was stuck at the hospital at the behest of the PRT with Amy.

Brockton Bay General Hospital was the biggest hospital in town, and conveniently located in central downtown. I was here often to volunteer, but the mood tonight was darker and more somber than usual. The emergency room was seeing much more traffic as usual, with gang members, cops, and innocent victims stopping by frequently. Even one of the local heroes, Velocity, stopped by for a quick round of healing.

Panacea swung by every now and then when needed, but for the most part she was keeping busy with healing patients on the queue. I alternated between using my healing abilities on emergencies that came in, playing my healing song, and taking breaks to recharge my powers.

"Nightingale," Megan called out to me as I was healing a PRT officer who was shot. Megan was one of the hospital administrators at Brockton Bay General who worked with Panacea and me. She looked apprehensive. "Can you come with me?"

"Sure, let me just finish up here," I replied. I finished healing the patient I was with and followed Megan out into the hallway. "So… what's going on?"

"A new emergency patient," Megan replied nervously. "We have him quarantined in an ICU room right now."

Megan led me silently down the hospital corridors. Panacea was waiting for us outside of the room by the time we got there, along with a PRT officer I didn't recognize and Dr. Feldman, the PRT doctor that supervised my power testing. The blinds were closed, and I was freaking out just a little bit by now.

Amy waved at me as I approached. She had bags underneath her eyes, and she looked exhausted. She had been spending even more time at the hospital than I was,

"Ah, Nightingale," Dr. Feldman greeted me. "Good to see you again. I'm glad you and Panacea can be here to… help us out with this situation. There's a patient inside that modern medicine simply can't help, so we'd like to see if your powers can do anything to help."

I nodded along, and followed Dr. Feldman into the room. The view that greeted us when we entered was shocking, to say the least. Lying on the bed was a… person… or rather, what looked like a real life Picasso abstract painting of a person. The grotesque lump of meat on the bed was all wrong and warped, with certain parts grotesquely enlarged and others shrunk down to impossible proportions, and all twisted around each other. I felt bile rise up in my throat as I clamped down on my sudden urge to vomit. Amy looked just as queasy next to me.

"What the hell happened to him?" Amy asked.

"We're not sure, but we suspect that this is the result of one of Bakuda's bombs," Dr. Feldman responded sadly. "We suspect it's some kind of spatial warping technology, but we haven't found a way to reverse the effects."

"How is he still alive?" Amy stepped forward and reached out to the victim, before changing her mind and pulling her hand back.

"Go ahead," Dr. Feldman encouraged her. "Can you give us any insight as to what's going on?"

"It's… holy shit, I don't know how he's still alive," Amy muttered, as she placed her hand on one of the patient's ankle. "Everything is still connected, but it's all warped and twisted in ways that shouldn't be possible. I wouldn't know where to start… but his brain is all warped as well. I don't think I can help him."

Dr. Feldman and Amy conversed for a few more minutes on the patient, but I hardly paid attention to what they were saying. I kept staring at the mass of flesh that laid on the bed. What kind of sick freak builds a weapon like this?

"Nightingale?" Dr. Feldman's voice roused me from my musings. "Would you like to try your healing ability?"

I cleared my throat. "Who was he?"

"We believe he's an Empire Eighty-Eight foot soldier. He was found with a few other members who all died from more mundane causes, which leads us to believe that this was some kind of an experiment."

I don't care who he was, nobody deserved this. I stepped forward and gingerly placed my hand on the patients and called upon my power. I felt waves of feeling energy enter into him, but neither of my healing spells looked like it was doing anything. I turned to look at Dr. Feldman and shook my head.

Dr. Feldman frowned a bit. "Well, I can't say that was entire unexpected. We'll do what we can to prolong his life, and see if we can make any progress into reversing the effects."

"I… I need some fresh air," I stated suddenly.

I rushed out of the room and managed to make it out to the hallway before I vomited my dinner out onto the floor. Ugh, gross. I quickly used my Prestidigitation spell a few times to clean up the mess I made before anyone else could step in it. After cleaning up the mess, I walked briskly to the front entrance of the hospital. The cool night breeze that hit my face as I exited was refreshing and a nice change of pace from the sterile hospital environment. I plopped down on a bench outside and squeezed my eyes shut.

"Hey, are you OK?" A familiar voice asked me.

I opened my eyes to see Glory Girl and Mistblade standing a few feet ahead of me. Huh, when did they get here.

"Yeah, it's just… Bakuda," I responded. "She's a real monster. What about you guys? How was patrolling?"

"It was awesome," Vicky said cheerfully. "All of New Wave patrolling together for the first time in forever. We ran into a bunch of Empire thugs and capes, and we managed to capture Cricket and Crusader!"

"Wow, that's really great." New Wave's stock should definitely rise with their latest victory. That and Brandish had made a bunch of public statements decrying the whole Shadow Stalker situation. I was a little annoyed that my personal trauma was being used as a talking point, but I guess it was unavoidable. I did feel a stab of jealousy at being left out of all the action. I hadn't been involved with the capture of any villains yet. "Is everyone alright?" I asked.

"Yeah we're fine," Mistblade replied. "Some of the other New Wave members suffered some minor injuries that they're going to wait for Panacea to heal. Rune did manage to tag me in my left arm a bit with some rubble. Would you mind…?"

"Sure, I'd be happy to." This was something I could easily do. I reached out and gently touched her on her arm, and pushed my healing energy into her. It looked like she had a bone fracture, or at the very least some heavy bruising.

Mistblade sighed in relief. "Thanks Nightingale. I really appreciate it."

"No problem," I replied, "it's a nice easy change from what I just had to deal with. One of Bakuda's victims. She really needs to be taken down."

"Everyone wants a piece of her," Vicky added. "The Empire even put a bounty on her head, remember?"

Mistblade nodded in agreement. "She's been laying low since the fighting broke out, and just supplying the rest of the gang with her tinkertech explosives. Won't be easy to draw her out."

Vicky shrugged. "We'll do what we can. You want to hear about how we took down those Empire villains?"

I sighed again and nodded. Why did Brockton Bay have to get all the crappiest villains.

* * *

 **AN**

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Whoo, we hit a milestone. 200 favorites! Thanks everyone for reading and commenting. I read all the reviews, and they are much appreciated!

Poor Taylor, Lesser Restoration just isn't good enough. WTB Greater Restoration. This chapter took a while to get out. I ended up rewriting it and deleting a lot of stuff before I decided to just finish it off. I ended up deleting a scene where Renick meets with Danny + Taylor, since it seemed pretty redundant since it was just rehashing stuff that was already said.


	25. Aria 4-4

**Aria – 4.4**

April 14th, 2011

Going to school this week had been weird. There was so much violence and destruction going on in rest of the city, but Arcadia was completely insulated from it all. It was like a little bubble where all the privileged kids of Brockton Bay could hide from the ills of the rest of the city. If rumors were to be believed, they even had the benefit of having the Wards on site for additional security. I couldn't help but think that the other poorer schools in Brockton Bay could have benefited more from having the Wards attend. Then again, Winslow had Shadow Stalker, and that turned out swell for me.

I went out on patrol again with Glory Girl and Mistblade the night before, but we didn't run into any capes. We did manage to stop a small skirmish between the Empire and ABB gang members though. Waking up at six AM was getting harder and harder, but I wasn't giving up on my morning exercise regiment yet. I suppose there was comfort in the routine of it. I took a longer shower than usual after my morning run and calisthenic exercises, and slowly went through my morning routine.

I decided to wear one of the newer dresses I bought, a navy blue A-line one. I didn't actually have that many of my old clothes left. Vicky saw me wearing baggy jeans one day and declared a fashion emergency. Since then, I've noticed that a lot of my old clothes had gone missing. Between her and Madison, my wardrobe had seen an almost complete turnover. Speaking of Madison, I haven't seen her in a while. I should check in on her.

Went I went downstairs, Dad was at our dining table reading a copy of the _Brockton Bay Enquirer_ , one of the trashy tabloids that focused on celebrity gossip as well as our local cape scene. We usually read the _Herald_ , which was actually a real newspaper.

"Since when do you read that garbage?" I asked.

"Since my daughter became a celebrity," Dad replied, chuckling as he flipped through the tabloid pages. "There's a very interesting story in here."

I rolled my eyes. "I'm not the real celebrity. Nightingale is."

Dad smirked at me as he handed over the page he was looking at.

 _Brockton Bay's newest starlet Nightingale's secret affair with Glory Girl revealed!_

I actually laughed as I read the headline. An affair so secret that even I didn't know about it. I think reading about it would've bothered me even just a few weeks ago. However, with all the crap on the internet I had to deal with lately as both Taylor and Nightingale, one trashy gossip tabloid article hardly fazed me. There was even a big picture of Glory Girl in flight, holding me in a bridal carry. I had to admit it looked pretty intimate from an outsider's perspective. I idly began reading the article as I ate my breakfast.

 _Brockton Bay's newest cape starlet, Nightingale, has made quite an impact since her debut a few months ago as a miracle healer. She was immediately spotted hanging out and spending time with local independent heroine and New Wave member Glory Girl. While we all assumed it was merely friendship, sources have revealed that the two superheroines have actually been involved in a steamy affair! Glory Girl, aka Victoria Dallon, had been romantically linked with one Dean Stansfield, son of local business mogul Richard Stansfield, but sources close to the heroine have revealed that the two have had a falling out recently, and that our blonde super-heroine is now seeking comfort in -_

I set the paper down and frowned. Baseless gossip mongering was one thing, but Vicky was having actual personal details of her non-cape life revealed. She always seemed OK with being in the public eye, but this seemed a bit creepy. Did they have spies in our school, or was it just some student selling details of their classmate to the tabloids?

I tried to push the thought of the tabloid article out of my mind as I went to school. I basically sleepwalked my way through my morning classes. I still did all my homework and took a bare minimum of notes, but it was hard to care that much about school with everything else going on. To make matters worse, some of my classmates still tried to ask me about Shadow Stalker every now and then, and I may have gotten a reputation as an unpleasant loner as a result.

Vicky found me as I was about to enter the cafeteria during lunchtime, and stopped me from going inside. "Hey Taylor, I'm going to go get lunch off campus today. Come with me?"

Vicky looked a bit tired, and her shiny blonde hair wasn't as smoothly brushed as it usually was. It appeared that the ongoing gang war was taking a toll on her. I guess she wanted a break from school as well. I nodded in agreement. "Sure, Vicky. What about Amy? Is she joining us?"

Vicky frowned a bit. "She has to run some errands, and she doesn't have class in the afternoon today, so she won't be joining us."

Oh, right. Arcadia had a co-op program, and a lot of students had externships in the afternoon instead of classes. Most everyone on PHO agreed that it was a convenient way to let the Wards go capering during the middle of the day. Amy had a co-op at one of the hospitals, but Vicky and I just had regular classes. I had the feeling that Vicky wasn't that into traditional forms of labor.

"So, where are we going?" I asked as I followed Vicky to her car.

"I thought we could go to the mall and get lunch there."

I frowned a bit. Weymouth Mall wasn't really that close to Arcadia, and I didn't know if we'd be able to make it back in time for our next class. Vicky elected to drive to the mall instead of flying, and she put on a baseball cap and a large pair of sunglasses once she got to her car. That was her go to disguise for when she wanted to go unnoticed. Amazingly, that was pretty much all it took for her to be able to go out in public without being recognized.

Vicky apparently was in the mood for a greasy burger. She ordered a double bacon cheeseburger from the food court when we got there, while I went for a relatively healthier grilled chicken sandwich.

"I'm just so sick of school right now," Vicky muttered as she was munching on her giant burger. I admit I may have been just a little bit envious of her meal as I chewed on my dry and overcooked chicken.

"I know what you mean," I responded.

"Yeah, the other girls in school, they just don't get it. The responsibilities when you have powers, the pressure to be perfect." Vicky sighed as she slumped in her seat. "You get it though, right? With everything you're doing?"

I nodded along dumbly. I guess Vicky was in a contemplative mood.

Vicky sighed again. "That's why I like you Tay-Tay. You get it. That and you put up with my craziness."

"Umm, thanks?"

"We've been busting gangbangers and villains for the past week, and now we're supposed to care about finishing our English project, or who the quarterback has a crush on? Ugh." Vicky rolled her eyes and chomped down on her burger.

I nodded along. I had the feeling Vicky just needed to vent, and I was happy to just play the role of a bobblehead.

"So… should we head back to school?" I asked, after we finished our meal. We ate pretty slowly, and our lunch hour was nearly up already.

"Well, it's probably too late to make it back in time for pottery." Vicky grinned sheepishly at me. "How about we just skip the afternoon and have some fun?"

Yup, totally saw that coming. I couldn't bring myself to get mad at Vicky though, since school was driving me a little nuts too. Ditching school was wrong, but it felt oddly thrilling as well. Plus, Vicky looked like she could use the distraction. I sighed and nodded along. It's not like I could make it back in time for my next class on my own.

"Great! Come on, Victoria's Secret is having a sale, and I'm going to pick out some new stuff for you. You're too old to still be wearing panties with Alexandria on them," Vicky teased.

"What? Shut up!" I felt my face turn red. "I don't wear those anymore."

I lied. I bought a new pair fairly recently, and I still wear them from time to time. Alexandria is awesome. Vicky doesn't have to know about that though. We started browsing random apparel stores for a bit, but I could tell Vicky's heart wasn't really into it like she usually was. The buzzing of Vicky's phone interrupted our shopping session, and I saw her frown as she pulled her phone out.

"Everything OK?"

Vicky's visage hardened as her scowl deepened. "Villains are attacking the Brockton Bay Central Bank and taking hostages. Amy's inside right now."

"Oh shit," I muttered. As if there weren't enough crap going on in Brockton Bay already. "What do you want to do?"

"I'm going," Vicky said instantly with a determined expression. "I'll drop you off first so you can get changed into your costume. Meet me there?"

I nodded in agreement. Looks like my day was about to get more exciting.

* * *

I lived closer to the bank than Glory Girl did, but she still managed to beat me there by a few seconds with her superior flight speed. The PRT was just arriving at the scene as we landed, and officers were cordoning off the area and setting up a perimeter. Nearby, I saw members of the Wards exiting a van that had just pulled up to the scene.

Weld exited the van first, followed quickly by Aegis, Gallant, Clockblocker, and Kid Win. I wasn't surprised that they arrived so quickly, since Arcadia was nearby. The only Ward I could think of that was missing was Vista, which made sense since she was probably too young to go to Arcadia.

Weld didn't really have a cape costume or mask like the rest of the Wards, though I guess with his appearance it wasn't like he needed one. He wore black trousers with combat boots, and a dark vest that left his metallic arms uncovered. He didn't wear a helmet or mask either, so his headset was clearly visible. The Wards greeted us, somewhat awkwardly, after they exited the van, before beginning to spread out and surround the entrance of the bank. Vicky and I headed towards Weld, who was the new leader of the Wards. I was still irked at these people for their association with Sophia, but I could be professional.

"What's the situation?" Vicky, or Glory Girl now that we were in costume, asked Weld once everyone was settled.

"The unidentified parahumans are still inside, and they've taken hostages," Weld started speaking.

"It's the Undersiders," Glory Girl interjected tersely. "Amy's inside. She sent another text to me."

The Undersiders? They were supposed to be small time thieves. Their biggest claim to fame was that they had never been caught yet. Insight had assured me that they were harmless, and that I shouldn't worry about running into them. This though… didn't fit with what I knew about them. Robbing a bank during the middle of the day and taking hostages was certainly not harmless.

"That's good to know, thanks," Weld said. "I'll relay the information to everyone. They're comprised of four capes, right?"

"Amy said there was five of them from her last text, but I haven't heard anything from her since." Vicky looked worried as she relayed the information.

"Great," Aegis muttered from nearby. "They must have added another member, or maybe an independent contractor. The Undersiders have never done anything like this before, preferring to stay elusive. It's a big departure from their usual M.O."

"So, what's the plan?" I asked.

"We're getting blueprints to the bank now, and the PRT are already surrounding the building and sealing all the other exits with containment foam," Weld replied confidently. "Then we sit tight and wait for the Protectorate to arrive. They're a little… held up right now, but we can expect backup soon. We can't risk breaching the building while they're holding hostages."

"And how long is that going to take?" Glory Girl asked impatiently. "We're just supposed to sit around and wait?"

"Hunch has confirmed that this is the best plan to minimize civilian harm. Look, Glory Girl, Nightingale, I know you guys want to help, but we're under orders here." Weld looked uncomfortable as he was speaking to us. "I'm going to have to ask you two to step back and let us handle this."

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Glory Girl hissed, her aura ramping up to match her temper. All around us, I noticed people flinching as her aura washed over them.

" _Glory Girl, control your aura,_ " I murmured forcefully at her. To my surprise, I felt power flow into my words, and the effects of Glory Girl's aura on me immediately dissipated. Several of the Wards also appeared to be shaking off the effects.

Glory Girl looked at me in confusion. "What did you just do?"

"I… I don't know," I replied. That was weird.

"Ahem," Weld cleared his throat loudly. "Look, I understand how you feel, but you're not trained or cleared to work with the PRT and us. You don't have PRT headsets either, and when things go down, we won't even be able to communicate effectively."

"You can't expect us to sit around and do nothing," Glory Girl argued. "My sister is in there."

Clockblocker chose that moment to pipe up. "Uhhh, Hellhound is in there, right? And she's the one with the demon hellspawn monsters? Personally, when the giant monsters from hell start attacking, I wouldn't mind having Alexandria Junior here to hide behind."

Weld shot Clockblocker an exasperated look. It was weird how expressive his metal face could be.

"Look," I said, trying to sound as reasonable as possible. "We'll hang back and follow your lead. But if we see an opportunity to save Amy without risking anyone, you can't expect us not to take it."

Weld sighed. "I guess that's the most we can expect. Just try to trust us on this. We'll do everything we can to get Amy out of there."

"Fine, we'll go wait on the roof of the bank," Glory Girl said. Without waiting for a response, she scooped me up before I could protest and flew the two of us towards the rooftop.

"What a dick," Glory Girl muttered as she set me down on the roof. She was obviously tense, and began pacing the rooftop nervously.

"Hey," I said softly to Vicky as I rubbed her arm. "We'll get Amy out of there safely. The Undersiders aren't so stupid that they'd hurt her."

"Yeah, and then I'm going to pound those losers into the ground. There's a freaking gang war going on, and these cockroaches decide this is the time to rob a bank?"

While we waited, I tried to remember what I knew about them from my cape research. Grue was presumably the leader, and he had been active in Brockton Bay for a couple of years now. He could create clouds of black smoke or fog. To be honest, that didn't seem that powerful. I mean, I could pretty much replicate that to some extent with my illusion powers. So far he had mostly been linked to petty crimes, such as small robberies, or working as an enforcer for hire. Since teaming up with the Undersiders, he had been moving up to higher scale crimes. Still, this bank robbery was a new high for him.

Hellhound was their most famous member, and the only other one with a decent amount of public information available. Her civilian name was Rachel Lindt, and she had pretty much been on the run ever since she had triggered. She was capable of transforming dogs into terrifying giant monsters. I should introduce Mrs. Fluffypaws to her.

Next up was Spitfire. She had some form of pyrokinesis. The exact details of it were unknown, but her flames were supposed to be powerful enough to melt steel. The last Undersider that I knew about was a mysterious cape named Regent. His power was completely unknown, and not even Insight was able to tell me anything about his power. That still left the mysterious fifth member unaccounted for though.

A loud commotion started happening below us, as the front entrance of the bank burst open. A number of people began running out, and they all looked like they were civilians. Almost instantly after, black smoke began billowing out of the bank.

Weld reacted almost immediately to the situation. "Everyone leaving the bank, get down on the ground now!" he bellowed at the hostages rushing towards him.

I couldn't tell how the civilians responded though, as the black smoke soon engulfed them and obscured them from view. A giant monstrous dog leapt out of the smoke, causing several of the PRT troopers nearby to scatter. A few of them tried to foam the beast, but the massive creature was able to nimbly leap and dodge around the PRT troopers. Two more massive beasts shot out of the black cloud, each carrying a pair of people. One of the riders launched a gout of flame that engulfed one of the PRT vehicles and set it alight, and I saw Aegis and Ward leap forward to directly engage with the giant beasts. And of course, there were stupid bystanders who were sticking around past the PRT blockade lines trying to get video footage of everything that was happening.

"Fuck!" Glory Girl yelled. "Was Amy with the hostages?"

"I… I don't know. Should we go help them?" I asked. Weld had told us not to get involved, but it looked like a war zone down there. The supposed new fifth member was still unaccounted for.

"I'm going inside to look for Amy," Glory Girl said to me, leaping off the roof before I could say or do anything to stop her. She flew outwards a bit, and quickly reversed direction, slamming into one of the upper windows above the billowing dark clouds, shattering the glass and creating a convenient entrance.

I hastily called upon my own flight power, and flew up after her. Thankfully, I didn't have to make my own human sized entrance. The lobby of the bank was mostly empty when I hovered inside. Most of the hostages must have been ushered outside and presumably were being rescued by the Wards.

Glory Girl was hovering a small distance away from Amy and a female cape I didn't immediately recognize. The cape wore what looked like a jester's costume. She had a skintight red and gold bodysuit on, clown makeup and a black domino mask, and a jester's hat. She also had a messenger bag strapped to her back. Her appearance was certainly unique, and I struggled to figure out who she could be. Amy had her hands tied behind her back, and the cape was holding a wicked looking knife to Amy's throat. I hovered slowly towards Glory Girl and landed near her.

"Let her go, Circus!" Glory Girl yelled angrily at the cape.

Oh, I guess the cape was Circus. From what I remembered from my cape research, she was an independent cat burglar, and had never done anything as high profile as this bank robbery. She was supposed to have a grab bag of minor powers, including a bit of pyrokinesis and a personal pocket dimension.

"So you can pulverize me? I think I rather like having this shield," Circus responded glibly. She glanced around quickly, and it was apparent that she was more nervous than what she tried to portray.

"Count yourself lucky, freak, that your costume covers your entire body," Amy murmured angrily at Circus, "or I'd give you a heart attack. Or maybe cancer."

Whoa, what the hell. Where did that come from? Amy can do that?

Circus laughed derisively in response as she brandished the knife wickedly. "Ooh, mousy little Panacea has claws. I'm so scared."

"You should be scared," Glory Girl replied. "What do you think is going to happen here? You just took Panacea hostage during the middle of the day. You're outnumbered here, and you're not getting away."

"Oh em gee, I'm outnumbered by Glory Hole and Capey Perry?" Circus asked sarcastically. "Whatever will become of me?"

Glory Girl scoffed. "Wow, so original. You'll have to do better if you want to get a rise out of me. Just drop the knife and surrender, Circus. The Protectorate are on their way already."

"Yeah, and Capey Perry is a terrible pun!" I added.

Both of them turned and stared at me.

"Eh, it's not bad," Glory Girl said after a moment.

"What the? Whose side are you on?" I hissed at her.

"What?" Glory Girl shrugged. "As far as banter goes, it's not the worst."

I rolled my eyes. "Can you focus please."

Glory Girl shrugged. The sounds of combat from outside filtered in, where the Wards were hopefully winning against the Undersiders. Not only did they outnumber the Undersiders five to four, but the Wards also had the advantage of formal training and PRT backup. We stood around for a few minutes just listening to the sounds of battle outside.

After a while, Glory Girl spoke up again. "I wanted to go to the mall for lunch, but nooo, you needed to go to the bank."

"It was either going to the bank or wind up broke for that blind date you're forcing me into," Amy responded with a frown, before turning to me. "You're lucky she hasn't started setting you up on blind dates yet."

I had to agree with her on that point, but this wasn't my idea of focusing.

"Ames, the guy I'm setting you up with is a sixteen year old millionaire. I don't think it's unreasonable to expect him to foot the bill for dinner and a movie."

"Ugh," Circus groaned loudly. "Can you please spare me from this teeny-bopper crap. I might just slit her throat and then my own just to get away from this crap."

"It looks like we have a stalemate," I said. "Can't you just save us some time and surrender?"

Circus snorted. "Can't you just go fuck yourself?"

How rude.

Glory Girl smirked at the villain. "Please, this will all be over soon enough. I just wonder what will happen first, the Protectorate showing up, or the Wards finishing mopping the floor with the rest of your pathetic team outside. Give up now and I'll do what I can to get you leniency."

"They're not my team, and as tempting as your offer is, I'm afraid I'm going to have to decline," Circus replied nonchalantly. "But don't worry, I have a much better offer, Glory Hole. Why don't you and your little lesbian lover go ahead and walk yourselves into that vault over there, and in return I don't slit your beloved sister's neck."

"You wouldn't dare!" Glory Girl growled out. "They'll Birdcage you if you kill Panacea. Even you're not that crazy."

"Yes, well I don't plan on getting caught," Circus drawled back. "I'm counting on the fact that you love your little sister enough that you'd rather let me go free than watch her bleed out so pointlessly here in this bank."

Glory Girl glared at Circus. "You're bluffing."

"You'd bet your sister's life on that? Chop chop, get moving before I get impatient."

I glanced back and forth between the two. I wanted to catch Circus too, but I didn't think it was worth risking Amy's life over. Glory Girl looked like she wasn't ready to back down though. She could be stubborn as hell when she wanted to be. I had to do something.

"Amy," I called out to her. "Being mousy isn't always such a bad thing."

She looked at me with a puzzled expression for a second before I saw recognition set in in her eyes.

I lifted my hand and unleashed the spell I was preparing. " _Polymorph."_

Circus let out a startled gasp as Amy rapidly shrank and disappeared from her grasp. A small brown mouse sprinted away. "What the fu-"

Before Circus could finish her sentence, Glory Girl rocketed forward in an attempt to tackle Circus. Circus must have amazing reflexes though, as she was able to pirouette out of the way of Glory Girl's attack and simultaneously fling the knife she was holding at me in one smooth motion. I let out a startled yelp as I tried to shield my face with my arm. The knife struck my chest forcefully and knocked me to the ground. Luckily, my costume's armor held strong, and the knife didn't pierce through. If it hadn't been for my expensive outfit, that could have easily killed me. That bitch! I'm keeping the knife. Unfortunately, the attack forced me to drop my concentration on Amy's polymorph, and Amy rematerialized in her human form a short distance from where I was.

"Stay down!" I whispered loudly to her, as I staggered to my feet.

Circus had just ducked under one of Glory Girl's sweeping attacks, and Glory Girl reared back to deliver a downward overhand slam. Circus nimbly rolled backwards out of the way, and a bear trap materialized out of nowhere where she was just a moment before and clinched shut around Glory Girl's wrist as her punch harmlessly slammed into the ground. Glory Girl screamed out in rage, and lifted the iron bear trap up and ripped it in half like it was made out of aluminum foil. Holy shit, she can be scary.

Circus started making a break for it, and was sprinting towards the exit when I popped out and unleashed my twin beams of purple energy towards her. She must have had eyes on the back of her head though, as she launched herself into a twisting butterfly kick and neatly dodged both of my beams. Glory Girl was just about to fly after her when a flashbang grenade that must have been hidden underneath the bear trap detonated at her feet. Glory Girl stumbled backwards, disoriented from the blast. I was just far enough from her and facing away enough that I wasn't completely blinded, though my ears were completely deafened and were ringing, and my head was pounding with pain.

Shit, had to stop Circus from reaching the front doors. I tried to ignore the pain in my head as best I could and reached into my pool of powers, and pulled on my illusion power. With a loud screech, metal began growing out of the floor and doors, completely covering the exit with sharp metal spikes and barbs. It looked like something Kaiser would make if I was honest with myself, but I tried to push that thought out of my head.

Circus skidded to a stop, her arms flailing in an attempt to slow herself down before she impaled herself on the seemingly real metal spikes. She quickly spun to face me, and a number of knives materialized in her hands. I dove over a nearby desk and ducked under as knives thudded against the desk and floor around me.

Luckily for me, Glory Girl chose that time to reassert herself, and sent a large office desk went flying towards Circus. Circus ducked under the large flying projectile, but the desk struck the wall behind her with thunderous force and shattered into numerous pieces, sending debris flying everywhere.

Circus staggered a bit as the debris pelted her, and I took that opportunity to fire another energy beam at her. Instead of firing twin beams, I focused all my energy into one intense beam of energy that struck Circus right in the chest, knocking her off her feet and sending her sliding a good distance. She tried to struggle back onto her feet, but I blasted her with another energy beam, putting her down. Oops, may have overdone it there.

I walked forward to check on her, with my hand raised and ready to unleash another energy blast if she was just playing possum. She was still clearly alive, though she was groaning rather pitifully. I took the opportunity to zip tie her wrists together. Glory Girl and Amy followed me towards Circus, and Amy approached the downed villain to check up on her.

"She's fine. A few cracked ribs, but nothing life threatening," Amy said after she placed a finger on an uncovered part of Circus's face. "I'll put her to sleep until the PRT can pick her up."

"You… you didn't give her cancer did you?" I asked.

Amy recoiled back at my words. "What? Of course I didn't! I was just bluffing earlier."

"Oh, right, sorry. I'm glad you're OK," I replied, feeling a little foolish.

"Yup, and we caught another villain!" Vicky exclaimed. She was looking particularly happy and smug now. "See Nightingale, good things happen when you ditch school."

Now that I thought about it, this was my first real victory against a villainous cape. Huh, I guess Vicky might have a point. I picked up Circus's messenger bag and opened it. Time to look at what she was trying to steal. "Huh, this is interesting," I remarked as I leafed through the contents. "It looks like it's all financial documents related to Medhall."

"What the hell? Was this supposed to be a corporate espionage or corporate theft job?" Glory Girl asked.

"I don't know. Should we go see if the Wards need our help?" I asked.

Before anyone could respond, the wall facing the front of the bank that we were standing near chose that time to explode. A piece of debris must have struck me, and I may have blacked out, because the next thing I knew I was on the ground, groaning in pain. It hurt everywhere. The very next thing I noticed was Amy hovering over me, and then the pain slowly receding. After a short while, I felt well enough to try to sit up.

"What happened?" I asked groggily.

"You took a pretty good hit there," Amy replied. "A piece of debris hit your shoulder and caused a small fracture, but I healed it. A smaller and slower piece of debris struck your head, but luckily you avoided a concussion."

I sighed in relief as I felt the pain ebb away. "Thanks Amy. What happened outside?"

"I'm not sure, but the Undersiders managed to get away," Glory Girl answered. "At least we got Circus though."

"Guess they could have used our help after all," I muttered, as she helped me up to my feet.

"Yup." Glory Girl grinned sheepishly. "Uhhh, I'd also just like to point out that I was involved in a major cape fight where I was _not_ responsible for the majority of the property damage."

* * *

 **AN**

 **.**

Taylor learned Countercharm! Some thoughts on the bank scene – Tattletale predicted only a few Wards would show up, and Taylor wondered if her tipping off Armsmaster was the cause for every single Ward showing up. I wonder if it was because of that or Amy that caused all the Wards showed up. Vista doesn't go to Arcadia, so it didn't make sense to me that she would show up at the exact same time as the Arcadia Wards. I chose not to have her participate because I couldn't think of a plausible way to pull Missy out of class during the middle of the day without Armsmaster's prior warning. And someone else might be absent here. I wonder why.

As people have probably noticed already, there are more capes in this BB than what we saw in canon. Presumably there were a bunch more independents in canon that we simply never saw, so I'm going to take some liberties there. Taylor won't be getting any of the resurrection spells. The in-story justification is that this world doesn't have the DnD afterlife planes/gods that make those resurrection spells work. The meta justification is that I think it's a game mechanic that would hurt the narrative too much. If death could be that easily circumvented, then it really removes a lot of the tension/danger.

Disclaimer: Some dialog was taken from Worm Chapter 3.11. Wildbow owns Worm and Hasbro owns Dungeons and Dragons.

* * *

 **Taylor's Spells and Abilities**

 **.**

 **Cantrips (unlimited castings)**

· **Mage Hand** – creates a spectral hand that allows Taylor to manipulate objects within 30 feet of her, or allow her to pick up an item up to 10 pounds in weight.

· **Minor Illusion** – allows Taylor to create an illusory sound or image. Sounds can be any voice or sound that Taylor can imagine, and the volume can range from a whisper to a scream. Visual illusions must be no larger than a 5 foot cube, and can't create smell, light, sound, or other sensory effects.

· **Prestidigitation** – a collection of minor magical tricks, such as creating a minor sensory affect, cleaning or soiling a small object, lighting or snuffing out a small fire, creating various small illusions, and other small effects.

· **Eldritch Blast** – fires beams of intense energy at a target. The spell creates more beams at higher levels.

 **Level 1 Spells**

· **Thunderwave** – generates a thunderous blast of force up to fifteen feet out in front of Taylor, hurting and knocking back everything in her path. Generates a thunderous boom audible up to 300 feet away.

· **Sleep** – causes people or creatures in an area up to 120 feet away from Taylor to fall asleep. Can be resisted by those of strong fortitude and constitution.

· **Cure Wounds** – a person or creature that Taylor touches rapidly regenerates towards a healthy state.

· **Speak with Animals** – Taylor temporarily gains the ability to communicate with animals.

 **Level 2 Spells**

· **Invisibility** – Taylor or a person that Taylor touches becomes invisible for up to an hour. The effect ends when an offensive action is taken. Requires concentration.

· **Lesser Restoration** – a person that Taylor touches is cured of one disease or ailment.

· **Detect Thoughts** – lets Taylor read the surface thoughts of people around her? Or is it just a form of super-effective cold reading? Taylor isn't sure. Requires concentration.

 **Level 3 Spells**

· **Major Image** – allows Taylor to create an incredibly realistic illusion no larger than a 20 foot cube. These illusions can move and seem completely real, and even sounds and smells real. These illusions can even generate heat or chill, but not enough to cause bodily harm. Physical interaction with the illusion reveals it to be just an illusion though. Requires concentration.

· **Fly** – Taylor or a person Taylor touches gains the ability to fly for a short duration. Requires concentration.

 **Level 4 Spells**

· **Polymorph** – allows Taylor to shapechange another creature or herself into a new animal form. Unwilling creatures can resist the change if their mental fortitude is strong enough.

 **Other Abilities**

· **Song of Rest** – Taylor can imbue her voice with her power, and people who are resting while listening to her sing regain health more quickly than normal.

· **Countercharm** – Taylor can use musical notes or words of power to disrupt mind-influencing effects.


	26. Aria 4-5

**Aria – 4.5**

April 14th, 2011

Nightingale: _You said the Undersiders were small time and harmless._

Insight: _Sure, aren't they?_

Nightingale: _They just robbed a bank in broad daylight and took over a dozen hostages!_

Insight: _But they didn't hurt anybody, right?_

Nightingale: _I was hurt! And some of the hostages were hurt too!_

Insight: _Hmm, but wasn't that the result of Kid Win's unauthorized tinkertech going out of control?_

Nightingale: _Unauthorized? How do you know that?_

Insight: _Simple deduction. I can't imagine the PRT authorizing a Ward to wield an energy weapon with that much output for a situation like this. The Undersiders are mostly rumored to be minors who don't have any violent priors. Allowing a Ward to use ordinance with that amount of lethality in this case would be completely unheard of._

Nightingale: _It's still the Undersiders fault. I mean, I'm annoyed at the Wards too, but they wouldn't have even had to be there if the Undersiders weren't committing crime and taking hostages._

Insight: _Sure Songbird. I'm just glad you're OK. And good job on capturing your very first villain._

Nightingale: _Thanks. I have to go now. I need to do some healing._

I tucked my cellphone back into its holder on my belt. The PRT van I was riding in had just arrived at the PRT headquarters downtown. Amy was sticking around at the bank with Vicky to heal any of the injured hostages or bystanders, so I was asked by the PRT to heal up the Wards. I wasn't feeling particularly charitable at the moment, but I suppose it was a good idea to stay in the good graces of the PRT. Still, I was annoyed that it was Kid Win's weapon that blew out the front of the bank, and at the fact that these were Sophia's ex-teammates. Plus, the PRT confiscated the knife that I had liberated from Circus!

Miss Militia was there to greet me at the PRT building, and it was nice to see her again. She was kind to me the last time I saw her.

"Hello Nightingale, it's good to see you again," she greeted me, her eyes crinkled in what I assume was a smile. I couldn't actually see her lower face due to her bandanna face mask. "Thank you for volunteering to patch up the Wards."

"Oh, no problem at all Miss Militia!" I responded. "I'm always happy to help out wherever I can."

"That's good to hear. Brockton Bay is lucky to have you."

Heh, Miss Militia complimented me. Despite my current dissatisfaction with the PRT, it still warmed me up inside to be praised by one of my childhood heroes. I followed her into the room where the Wards were waiting. The room was dome shaped, and I noticed a series of monitors and computers lined up on one side of the rooms. The Wards were gathered in front of one of the walls. Behind the Wards was a whiteboard that had the names of each of the Undersiders written on them, as well as information on them. It looked like they were in the middle of debriefing. All the Wards that were present at the bank were currently here.

"Miss Militia," Gallant stepped forward to greet us, "always a pleasure to see you again."

"Ever the gentlemen," Miss Militia responded playfully. "I brought a guest for you guys."

I stepped forward a little and gave a small wave.

"Nightingale here was kind enough to volunteer to patch you guys up," Miss Militia said. "Can't send you home with all those bumps and bruises after all."

"Hey Nightingale," Gallant greeted me. "Are Amy and Victoria doing OK now?"

"Yeah, Panacea should be done healing the hostages at the bank by now." I took a moment to take stock of the Ward's condition. On the whole, they seemed to be in OK shape. Except for the person who I assumed was Aegis. There was a burly boy who was topless and out of costume except for a generic mask, and he may have made for an attractive sight were it not for the giant gashes on his arms, chest, and stomach that looked like it was stitched together clumsily. Blood was still trickling out of his wounds. It was a pretty disgusting sight.

"Uhh, I think I should start with you," I said, pointing towards Aegis.

"I'm fine," he replied, raising a hand to stop me. He certainly didn't look fine. "This looks much worse than it actually is. Please, I'll go last. I heal faster than these other guys anyways."

"Well, I'm not sure I can really do anything for you," I said turning to face Weld. His uniform was ripped in a few places and had some burn marks on them, but overall Weld looked mostly unharmed.

He chuckled in response. "That's alright. I'm not really too injured anyways, and I recover fairly quickly. Why don't you take a look at Kid Win first? He needs… to go somewhere after this anyways."

Kid Win slumped a little upon hearing that, but he made his way forward. I wonder what that was about. His left arm was in a sling, and there were some dents on his armor.

"Hey Nightingale," Kid Win said to me me, shuffling his feet a little as he approached me nervously. "I just wanted to apologize again. I'm really sorry you got hurt at the bank, and that it was my tinkertech that caused it."

"That's OK. Panacea patched me up, so I'm alright now," I responded. See, I can be magnanimous.

"Oh, thanks. And you'll talk to Glory Girl right? She's not really going to hurt me, is she?"

I resisted the urge to chuckle at his fright. Glory Girl had ripped into him at the bank when she found out that it was his weapon that had hurt me and endangered Amy. She must have left quite an impression if he was still worried about it.

"No, she's not going to hurt you," I reassured him. "Well, probably not. Fifty-fifty?"

The rest of the Wards continued discussing the fight as I took turns using my remaining energy to heal them. Most of the Wards had minor injuries: a few cracked ribs, a dislocated shoulder, some heavy bruising, etc.

I looked at the whiteboard that the Wards were making notes on. One whiteboard had Grue and Hellhound's names written on it, and a second whiteboard had Spitfire, Regent, and Circus on it. There were some notes on Regent, who had been a complete unknown in the past. Apparently he could make people twitch and fall over, or throw off someone's aim. It didn't seem that powerful of an ability, but the Undersiders victory over the Wards meant that they were not to be underestimated.

"Nightingale, anything you can add about Circus?" Weld asked.

I looked at what they had under Circus. It was pretty empty, except for two bullet points: pocket dimension, and possible pyrokinesis. "Well, she said she wasn't actually part of the Undersiders. Sounds like she had her own thing going on, which may explain why she was still in the bank instead of outside with the rest of the Undersiders. Also, I think she may have some sort ofcombat thinker or enhanced agility. Either that or she's had some serious training."

"Hmm, that's not surprising, since she doesn't really fit in with what we know about the rest of them," Aegis commented. I did what I could for him, and his wounds had closed a bit, although there were still some nasty scarring left. I didn't have enough energy to keep healing though, and he insisted that he would be fine. "She must have been a mercenary. The Undersiders didn't seem too bothered to leave her behind, but then again, it's not like there's a lot of honor among villains."

I made sure to note down all of the things the Wards were writing down. Insight was still trying to convince me that the Undersiders were a harmless bunch of merry thieves, but I was personally favoring Vicky's idea of smashing them into the ground.

* * *

April 15th, 2011

"Are you sure you don't want to come?" I asked, trying not to sound desperate.

"It's a dinner party, Taylor," Sabah responded, laughing a little. "I wear a full face mask, and I'm not ready to expose my skin tone yet. I'm not going to sit around for hours while everyone around me is eating delicious food and drinking champagne."

I sighed. "Yeah, I get it. Thanks for helping me out with this."

We were at Quinn's office, and Sabah was helping me get ready for the big fundraiser tonight. Since I didn't have a car, and I had a secret identity to protect, Quinn had offered to give me a ride there from his office. It was handy, especially since Quinn had a bathroom in his office hidden behind a secret door.

Quinn was nothing if not efficient. He even took the opportunity to schedule a client for me earlier in the same day. Some big shot athlete had hurt his knee doing some reckless activity during the off-season in violation of his contract, so he was paying me a ridiculous amount of money to get him in shape and help hide his injury before training camp. The whole thing rubbed me the wrong way, and the only reason I agreed to do it was the knowledge that I was going to use his money to help the less fortunate.

"Of course, Taylor. I still owe you for helping me rebuild my shop. And besides, it's not like you're going to be alone there. I mean, your girlfriend, Glory Girl will be there, right?" Sabah asked, chuckling.

I groaned. "Not you too. Don't tell me you read the Enquirer?"

Sabah simply shrugged in response. "Sometimes. I don't take it seriously or anything, but I want to know what people are saying about me. I've been less active the last few weeks, so I've managed to stay off its pages lately. You on the other hand, are probably going to start getting featured more and more." Sabah started pulling out small boxes out of the bag she had brought. "Now, what color do you want?" She asked.

The new dress that Parian had made for me didn't have a hood, so we were going to temporarily color my hair and style it differently to disguise my identity better.

"Let's see, I have red, auburn, strawberry blonde, platinum blonde, black, as well as some more exotic colors such as blue and pink," Sabah offered, holding up each package of hair dye as she spoke.

"Not red," I muttered. "This isn't going to damage my hair or anything, is it?"

"No, it's completely safe. It'll wash out after a few showers," Sabah said. "How about the pink? It'll give you a bit of a rebellious vibethat will contrast with your more formal presentation."

"No, that's a little too… out there for me. How about blonde?"

"Sure, but let's go with the darker strawberry blonde so that it'll contrast with your dress more."

I nodded along. I didn't really know what Sabah was talking about, but I trusted her judgment on this. What followed next was hours of primping and torture. First was the hair coloring. After that set in, Parian helped braid my hair into a complicated French braid that I would never bother to do on my own. Combined with the new color, it actually did a pretty decent job of hiding one of my most distinctive features.

Next was the makeup. Sabah helped me "contour," which apparently is when you use makeup to alter how you facial structure looks. It was definitely a higher level technique than what I was familiar with. I did my best not to fidget as she applied layers after layers of paint onto my face. After she was done though, I had to admit I looked vastly different. Sure I was still recognizable as Taylor Hebert to those who knew me well, but I looked different enough to fool most people making a quick glance.

I stared at the figure staring back at me in the mirror. The figure in the mirror actually looked classy and elegant. The dress was acream colored flowing evening gown, with a floor length ruffled skirt. The top part of the dress was sleeveless, and Sabah had made me white silk gloves that went all the way past my elbows. Even the mask was new and different from my regular one. It was still a white domino mask, but this one had fancy golden lines out of embroidered on.

"Wow, you did an amazing job," I complimented her. "I feel all Pygmalioned out."

"Pyg- what now?" Sabah asked, looking confused.

"Uhh, it's a play. Well, a Greek mythological figure too. It doesn't matter. Thank you."

"My pleasure Taylor," Sabah replied, laughing softly. "Well, at least once you stopped fidgeting so much."

We left Quinn's office together after Sabah put on her Parian mask and wig, and found Quinn and Katy waiting for us in the lobby. Katy was dressed in a red evening gown, and she was holding an expensive DSLR camera, which she used to snap a few photos of us.

"Well well, you clean up nicely. Ready to go?" Quinn asked. He was dressed sharply in a black tuxedo, and his was impeccably styled as always.

Katy and I followed him out towards his car and entered into his black Mercedes.

"Have you been doing your homework reading?" Quinn asked as he drove us towards the gala.

I rolled my eyes but nodded along. "Yeah, I read through the mountains of material you sent my way."

Quinn thought it would be a good idea for me to familiarize myself with the social elite of Brockton Bay, and as a result had sent me dossiers on the most prominent citizens of the city. I personally thought it was a bit overkill, but I did my best to study the materials.

"One quick change though," Quinn interjected. "It would probably be best not to talk any business with Mayor Christner tonight. Iknow you wanted to talk to him about the ferry, but... I don't know if you saw it on the news or not, but there was a kidnapping yesterday."

"Yeah, I think I saw something about a little girl being kidnapped, right?" The kidnapping happened at roughly the same time as the bank robbery, so it wasn't as big of a news item as such a thing usually was. Kidnapping a normal girl must have seemed mundane to the news channel compared to a super-powered bank heist.

"Yes, Dinah Alcott. She's actually Mayor Christner's niece. I'm not even sure if he'll be there tonight, but if he is, it would probably be best just to offer your sympathies."

I frowned as I drifted off in thought. It was easy to only focus on the parahuman crime element in town. It was the most visible after all, and the most reported on by our rather sensational media. But our mundane crime rate was pretty high as well. Even agirl like Dinah Alcott, who I assumed was from a wealthy family, could easily fall victim to a heinous crime. I could only assume that the kidnappers were after a ransom, and that she would be safely returned to her family soon.

* * *

 **AN**

 **.**

Well, this chapter took way longer than I thought it would. I've been pretty distracted by the Olympics the last two weeks as well as trying my hand at writing a DnD campaign, and as a result did less writing on this than usual. Rather than delay the release even further, I decided to just split the fundraiser scene into the next chapter and release a shorter chapter this week. We did hit a new milestone though. We're officially over 100k words now! This is by far the longest thing I have ever written now.

Disclaimer: Worm belongs to Wildbow, and Dungeons and Dragons belongs to Hasbro/Wizards of the Coast. I own nothing.


	27. Aria 4-6

**Aria 4.6**

April 15th, 2011

The Brockton Bay Museum of Art was the biggest and oldest museum in Brockton Bay. Sure, it wasn't as grand or fancy as the Met in New York or the Louvre in Paris, but it was ours. My parents used to take me here pretty often as a kid, and I definitely preferred the more classical art featured here over the nonsensical modern art that was displayed at the Forsberg Gallery.

The Doric columns of the museum greeted us as I walked up the steps to the museum with Calle and Katy. It was my first time at the museum after business hours, which I suppose gave me a sense of excitement for the event, despite my general grouchiness and anti-social tendencies. The central hall of the museum had been converted to a banquet hall and filled with circular dining tables with crisp, white tablecloths and expensive looking silverware. A small stage and podium was set up on one side of the hall, where I assumed I would later be singing and giving my Quinn and Katy approved remarks.

A few makeshift bars were also set up, with bartenders dispensing unlimited alcohol to the patrons who were already there, and waiters bustled about holding trays of champagne flutes. There were already plenty of people at the event decked out in their fineries who were socializing, drinking, or enjoying the art. Stuck in a building with Brockton Bay's wealthiest socialites. Great.

"Why don't the two of you head in first?" Calle suggested once were inside.

"What? You don't want to be seen with us?" Katy teased him playfully.

Calle chortled. "Yup, that's exactly it. I'm not after the kind of reputation one gets from going to social events with ladies half his age. But seriously, I'm just going to go say hello to a few acquaintance first. Feel free to go mingle. We're at table 14."

With that, Calle departed, leaving me alone with Katy. Katy was a nice enough person. Calle had assigned her to help me handle public relations as well as my various social media accounts, which was a godsend because I simply didn't care about that stuff like Vicky did. She also helped out with the research and grunt work needed for my side projects. She was a petite brunette with curly hair, and even though the heels she was wearing were higher than mine, I still stood several inches taller than her. We hadn't talked much outside of work though. She was in her early twenties and finishing up college, and I suspected that we didn't really have a whole lot in common.

"Do you come to these things often?" I asked her.

"Ehh, sometimes," she replied with a halfhearted shrug. "The firm buys a lot of tables at various charity events, but most of the attorneys in the office can't be bothered to show up to every one of them, so they send a grunt or intern once in a while. Quinn asked me to come tonight though since you were going to be here."

"Oh… sorry?" I tried to apologize. I couldn't help but think of Katy's poor little sister waiting at home all alone. Then again, I was never sure if Quinn had simply made up that story.

Katy laughed. "No it's OK, I really don't mind. The free food and champagne is usually good, and it's nice to get dressed up every once in a while."

"It's a bit ostentatious, isn't it? Why waste so much money when the goal is to raise money for charity?"

"I get how you feel, but they're not raising money in a vacuum. There's a limited number of wealthy donors in Brockton Bay, and these organizations have to compete with other charities for their attention and wallets," Katy replied sagely. "I know it seems like a waste, but it is what it is."

I sighed. "Ughh, weltschmerz," I bemoaned.

"What was that?" Katy asked.

"Oh, weltschmerz. One of those wonderful German words without an English translation. It means the mental pain or disappointment when you compare the world as it is with the world as it should be." It was one of Mom's favorite words.

"Oh, like schadenfreude?"

I nodded. I really missed all the little nuggets of wisdom Mom used to share.

"Well," Katy said, "we might as well mingle. I'm sure there's lots of rich weirdos here that would like to meet you. I bet people are thrilled that you're here. Last year's guest 'artist' was some hack that was the ninth runner up on American Idol or something like that."

"Nightingale!" A feminine voice called out to me from behind. I turned to see Victoria Dallon approaching me in all her glory.

"Vicky, you… you look… wow..." I stammered out.

Vicky smirked at me. "That was pretty much the reaction I was going for."

She was wearing a tight fitting maroon evening gown with a cavernous V-neck that revealed quite a bit of cleavage, and she definitely had the figure to pull it off. I didn't even want to think about how high the heels she was wearing must be, since she was currently towering several inches over me. Knowing Vicky though, she was probably somehow cheating with her flight powers to make sure she stayed balanced. Her make-up was immaculately applied, and her golden locks were done up in a fancy bun. I felt inadequate just standing next to her.

"You look gorgeous tonight," she said happily, as she scanned me from head to toe. Her eyes lingered on my newly colored hair for just an instant, but she wisely chose not comment on it. "You should dress like that all the time. You look like a princess."

I giggled nervously. Ughh, where did that come from. Vicky was so silly. "Uhh… oh! This is Katy," I said, introducing my companion. "She's my… uhhh… well..."

"Assistant and social media manager," Katy cut in smoothly.

Vicky arched an eyebrow at me. "Gee, aren't you eloquent tonight, Nightingale. What do you need a social media manager for? Doing that stuff yourself is like half the fun of being famous."

"I'd appreciate it if you don't try to get me fired while I'm standing right here," Katy responded wryly.

Vicky chuckled. "Sorry, that's not what I meant. You do a good job, it's just annoying that I never know if I'm talking to you or Nightingale on Twitter."

Yikes. I probably should have told Vicky way sooner that I never post directly from my Twitter account, but it was too late to do so now. Oh well, nothing could go wrong there.

"Is the rest of your family here?" I asked.

"No, just me and my mom," she replied. "Mom's firm only had one extra seat at their table, and Amy didn't want to come. She's at the hospital again tonight."

We were then interrupted by one of the event photographers. "Glory Girl! Nightingale! Can I get a picture?" he asked.

Vicky smiled graciously and pulled me in tight while Katy subtly stepped out of the picture frame. We posed for a few pictures, and I tried to force out my most charming smile. I was almost used to getting my picture taken by strangers, but I still didn't relish in it the way Vicky did. Katy took the opportunity to take a few pictures of us as well, which Vicky requested copies of.

"Anyways, should we go look at some art?" Vicky asked. She seemed a bit more excited to be here than I was, but I suppose there wasn't a reason not to try to have some fun while we were here, even if we were limited to soda instead of champagne.

Vicky slipped her arm into mine and started leading us into one of the museum's wings. "So, what exactly does the Brockton Bay Foundation for the Arts do?" Vicky asked.

I looked at Katy quizzically. She could probably explain it better.

"Well, it's an art foundation," Katy said. "They give grants to local artists, buy and donate works of arts for the local museums, fund art programs at the local schools, and other things like that. It's also an excuse for the rich socialites of Brockton Bay to come out and show off how rich and social they are."

"Ooh, yeah," Vicky replied. "They sponsored Arcadia's production of _A Midsummer Night's Dream_ last year. It was hilariously awful. Dennis played the hammiest Puck ever."

We paused as a waiter stopped in front of us holding a tray of hors d'oeuvres, and Vicky quickly liberated what seemed like half the tray from the waiter. I helped myself to one too, and had to admit it was pretty tasty. It was some kind of tart with watercress and crème fraiche and trout roe; fancier fare than I was used to for sure. Vicky also tried to take a champagne flute, but was foiled by an ID request. We idly meandered through the museum, stopping by interesting art pieces whenever the mood struck us.

"This is such a classy event," Vicky said excitedly. "Don't you feel so classy? Hey look!" She pointed towards an ancient nude Roman statue. "Penis. Heheheh."

I rolled my eyes and groaned, but Katy actually burst out laughing. Sheesh, and I thought she was supposed to be the mature one here.

"Think I can convince my mom to serve champagne at my birthday party?" Vicky asked.

"Not a chance in hell," I replied instantly.

I spotted a few faces that I recognized while we roamed around. Mayor Christner was in attendance tonight, as was local CEO Max Anders. I also spotted a few local celebrities, such as Jeff McAvoy from Channel 10 News. Dean Stansfield from Arcadia and his parents were also here, but since Vicky avoided their direction, I could only assume that they were still fighting or broken up. We were stopped a few times by patrons who wanted to meet us or shake our hands, and I grinned and bared it with as much grace as I could muster. Tonight was all about making a good impression.

After wandering around for a short while, Katy nudged me and pointed me towards the Mayor, who was speaking with an elderly man I didn't recognize.

"That's Richard Wyatt, next to Mayor Christner," she explained. "He's on the City Council, and he's the current head of the Brockton Bay Boat Graveyard Salvage Committee."

"There's a committee on that? Doesn't seem like they've been doing a great job," Vicky said.

"Well it was formed shortly after the boats in the bay were first scuttled, so yeah… they haven't gotten anything done in the last decade. We should probably go introduce ourselves."

"But why would you care about that?" Vicky asked.

"It's for my… extracurricular project, remember?" I said.

Vicky stared at me blankly. "What?"

I sighed. "I'm trying to acquire the salvage rights to the Boat Graveyard, remember? Clean up the Bay?"

"Oh right! I'm totally on _board_ with that!" Vicky exclaimed. "I've kind of always wanted to sink a ship."

"You can't just sink the ships that are there, you know," Katy interjected.

"Well yeah, we have to drag them out to international waters first," Vicky replied.

"No Vicky, dragging the boats into international waters isn't enough."

"But it's international waters!" Vicky stated, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "You can do anything out there."

"That's not how it works," I argued. "There's environmental contamination concerns, and you can't risk pieces of the wrecks breaking off and creating hazards. We're going to do it properly."

"Okay okay, sheesh," Vicky acquiesced. "So why hasn't anyone bothered to clean up those derelicts before?"

I looked at Katy again. She's good at explaining things, and she totally didn't mind all the research she had to do for our clean-up project.

"Well it took a while for the salvage rights to actually transfer to the city after all the local shipping companies went bankrupt," Katy explained. "Since then, it's mostly just economics. The cost of actually cleaning up the Bay far exceeds the value of the scrap that's available to be recovered. They've tried to auction the salvage rights a few times over the years, but there hasn't been any satisfactory bids. The local politicians talk a good game about cleaning it up and restoring Brockton Bay to its former glory, but with the budget deficits… there simply isn't enough money in the city budget to fund a clean up of that magnitude."

"So basically, doing this correctly means you're going to lose a shit ton of money?" Vicky asked skeptically.

"Yup, pretty much," Katy agreed.

Vicky sighed and muttered something about a yacht. At this point, the Mayor actually noticed us and waved at us.

"I guess we should go say hello," Katy suggested.

We made our way over to the two politicians and introduced ourselves. Up close, Mayor Christner looked haggard and distracted. He clearly wasn't enjoying himself as much as the other patrons at the gala. Dad wasn't a big fan of the mayor, since he had repeatedly shot down Dad's proposals to restart the ferry. It wasn't until I really started digging into my research with Calle and Katy that I realized just how bleak the city's financial situation was. Brockton Bay wasn't exactly on the verge of bankruptcy, but it definitely couldn't afford any large scale public works project at the moment.

"Miss Dallon, it's nice to see you again. And Nightingale, a pleasure to finally meet you," Mayor Christner said with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.

Buckle up Taylor, time to schmooze. I put on my winningest smile. "It's nice to meet you too," I replied. "Umm, I heard about your niece. I'm so sorry for what happened." Vicky added her condolences as well.

"Thank you girls. If you see or hear anything… you'll keep an eye out, won't you?" he asked.

Vicky and I nodded. "Of course, sir," Vicky replied. "I know the rest of New Wave will be keeping an eye out for Dinah as well."

Mayor Christner sighed. "Dreadful thing to happen, and she is so young. But I actually wanted to talk about something else. Richard here is the head of the Brockton Bay Boat Graveyard Cleanup Committee, and he was telling me about the salvage proposal that your attorney has submitted to the city."

Wyatt beamed at me. "I'll be honest with you, little miss, the proposal that you are sponsoring is definitely the best one that we've seen in years."

"Probably because she's not even trying to make any money off this," Vicky muttered off to my side.

I elbowed her sides... _lightly_ , and kept my smile plastered on my face. "Thank you. The Boat Graveyard has been an eyesore for more than long enough. I just want to do my part in making Brockton Bay a better place." I cringed a little internally at how cheesy that was, but he seemed to appreciate it.

"Well I'm sure the city definitely appreciates your presence," Mayor Christner said. "I'm going to talk with the city manager and see if we can fast track this project. I want to make sure this moves forward as fast as possible."

"I'm glad to hear that Mayor Christner. I'm happy we're on the same page here," I replied.

"Yes, of course. I'd also like you to consider using local labor whenever possible if this project moves forward," he suggested. "If everything goes well, we could have an initial town hall meeting on the subject as soon as next month."

"Yes, of course. I've heard good things about the Dockworkers in town."

Mayor Christner frowned a bit. "Yes, I'm sure they would appreciate any additional work about now. Shame about what the Merchants are doing over there."

My blood froze upon hearing his words. Trouble with the Merchants? Dad hadn't mentioned anything about that. "What do you mean? What's going on with the Merchants?"

"Those scum are taking advantage of the recent gang violence and expanding out into several territories, especially in the Docks district. We've tried to increase police patrols as much as possible, but the Merchants are like cockroaches."

My frown deepened. If the Merchants were giving them trouble, why hadn't Dad said anything? I knew things were rough around town, but he always made it seemed like he and his men were weathering it well.

"Hmm, that went well," Vicky commented as we made our way away from the Mayor.

"Yeah, surprisingly so. I wasn't sure that the topic would come up tonight," I said. I tried to push thoughts of the Merchant out of my mind for now. Nothing I could do about that at the moment.

"Well it is an election year, and getting the Bay clean up project started under his watch would be a huge coup for him politically," Katy mused. "He'd be an idiot not to take your money."

It was a cynical thought, but I couldn't help agree with Katy. The Boat Graveyard had been a blight upon our city for ages. I definitely wasn't the first to attempt a clean up, but all the previous efforts had stalled out relatively quickly. Still, I was fine with the Mayor using this opportunity for political gain as long as our interests were aligned.

We wandered around for a bit until we ran into Calle again. Calle was talking with a rather portly looking middle aged man. In contrast to most of the other guests, his appearance was a bit shabby. His tuxedo, while not exactly cheap looking, did not appear to fit his large frame perfectly, and his hair was sloppily styled into something that almost resembled a mohawk. The disparity was even more noticeable since he was standing next to Calle, who was wearing an extremely expensive bespoke tuxedo and always looked like he was stepping out of the pages of a magazine ad.

Calle beckoned us over and introduced us to the unusual man. "Ladies, this is Glenn Chambers. He's the Head of Image for the PRT. Glenn, meet Nightingale, Katy Martinez, and Victoria Dallon, also known as Glory Girl."

"A pleasure, ladies. Wow, I wish I had the two of you under my care," Glenn commented wistfully towards Vicky and me. "I could do so much with the two of you."

"That's a little creepy, dude," Vicky replied, causing both Calle and Glenn to chuckle.

"So… you're the head of Image with the PRT? Doesn't that mean you're based out of New York or something? What brings you to Brockton Bay?" I asked. Glenn Chambers didn't really fit the image of the head of anything, let alone the top image guy for an organization as large as the PRT.

Glenn chuckled again and rubbed the back of his neck. "Well if any city's PRT branch has a PR problem right now, it's definitely Brockton Bay's."

I narrowed my eyes at him. Was he here to smooth over the Shadow Stalker fiasco? As if that was merely a PR problem that could be solved with some slick words and fancy misdirection. Sophia hadn't even fled the city. I knew from Madison that she had dropped out of Winslow, but Shadow Stalker had been spotted several times over the last few weeks, usually committing acts of violence against E88 gang members. It didn't seem like the PRT was even trying to bring her in, other than posting a "wanted for questioning" notice. Or maybe Glenn was just referring to the general shit-show that Brockton Bay had become, with its constant gang violence and ineffectual law enforcement. The PRT couldn't even catch the stupid Undersiders, and now the Mayor's niece was kidnapped in broad daylight!

"So… what are you going to do to fix it?" I asked.

"What am I going to do? I'm a PR person, not a miracle worker. Though there will be big changes happening here soon, and I'm here temporarily to help smooth out the transition. Any chance I can convince the two of you to join the Wards while I'm here?" Glenn asked, jokingly I think. Or maybe he wasn't.

Vicky snorted in laughter. "Nice try." I merely looked at him with mild amusement.

Glenn sighed. "Welp, I tried. It would've made my job easier too. I imagine recruitment is going to be an uphill battle for the near future for Brockton Bay's PRT. The Wards just missed out on a promising recruit due to all this nonsense, though I'm optimistic that we'll still get him."

Soon after, an announcement signaled the start of dinner service. Katy, Calle, and I made our way to our designated table, while Vicky left to join her mom at a different table. We were joined at our table by a couple of Calle's more normal clients and other acquaintances, but I zoned out a bit and didn't pay too much attention to their introductions. My mind was still stuck on my meeting with Glenn Chambers and Mayor Christner. What did Glenn mean when he said that changes were coming?

The food was delicious of course, and I didn't pay much attention to the various speakers that droned on during dinner. It was all donate money this, look how successful we were that, etc etc. The ostentatiousness of it all still annoyed me a little, and I couldn't help but think that all this money could have been spent on a more worthwhile charity. Eventually, the evening drew to a close, and it was time for me to perform. The event coordinator or director was up on stage for my introduction.

"We have a special guest tonight," the speaker at the podium said with the appropriate level of enthusiasm. "She's already made quite the name for herself with her parahuman healing at the local hospitals, as well as her incredible musical talent. Please give a warm welcome to Brockton Bay's very own rising star, Nightingale!"

There was a decent smattering of applause as I made my way up to the stage. I didn't want to let fame or money go to my head, but I found myself appreciating the applause.

"Thank you for that kind introduction! I'm honored to be here today," I said, starting off my prepared mini-speech. "For those of you who know what I can do, you've probably already guessed that the arts are obviously very important to me personally. My songs can heal, but art doesn't need to literally save lives for it to be important in our everyday lives. I know things are bleak in Brockton Bay right now… but there's so much more to life than just the daily grind of survival. Music and art, we need those things in our lives now more than ever. To heal our souls. To give us hope and wonder. To make our lives just a little bit brighter. So, thank you for all your support."

With that out of the way, I began to sing. The foundation had asked me to sing something noncontroversial and that the older crowd could appreciate, which ended up being 'America the Beautiful' and 'Amazing Grace'. I personally thought that was boring as hell, but I still fulfilled their request. The night hadn't gone as badly as I feared, and if Calle was right, it was a necessary step towards my plans for making Brockton Bay a better place.

* * *

 **AN.**

 **.**

It's alive! Sorry for the mini-hiatus. Real life + a case of writer's block + Fire Emblem Fates has stymied me on this story for the past few weeks. I know there's plenty of plot points that I want to hit, but getting there from here seems to be giving me quite a bit of trouble. The only thing I can promise is that no matter how many complaints I get, I will not be reducing the number of puns in the story. We've made it over 300 favs/follows, so hooray!

I had to go back and check the previous chapters because for some reason I thought the Katy character was named Maria. Regarding wonderful German words that have English translations; I encourage y'all to listen to the song "Schadenfreude" from Avenue Q, one of the best musicals ever made.

Standard disclaimer: Worm belongs to Wildbow, and Dungeons and Dragons belong to Wizards of the Coast/Hasbro.


	28. Aria 4-7

**Aria 4.7**

April 17th, 2011

"Oomph!" I groaned in pain as the air was knocked out of me again as I landed hard on the ground after being thrown.

"Are you OK?" Mistblade – no, Lily, asked.

"Yeah, just give me a second to catch my breath," I wheezed out.

I could hear Vicky chuckling in the background as she laughed at my plight, so I shot her a halfhearted glare. I was finally getting some more intensive fight training from Lily, who as she was currently demonstrating, was considerably more skilled than I was. So far Lily had shown me an assortment of throws, pressure holds, and strikes meant to incapacitate or break joints. It was a bit more brutal than I was used to, but it definitely seemed useful. We also did some weapon practice, and I got some much needed training on how to properly use my lightsaber baton.

We had only known each other for a few weeks, but I had a good feeling about her. It was also kind of nice to have another serious-minded girl around to balance out Vicky's zaniness. The decision to unmask to each other was probably made a little hastily, but it seemed appropriate at the time. Her eyes had lit up with recognition when I introduced myself as Taylor Hebert, but she chose not to comment on or ask about my ongoing civilian life drama. I was immensely grateful for her tact and thoughtfulness.

"Let's take a break," Lily suggested. "We've been going hard for a while now."

I sighed in relief and nodded in agreement. Lily wasn't kidding when she said she wouldn't be taking it easy on me. Luckily we had some exercise mats in my basement which served to cushion my repeated falls, but I still had plenty of bruises to show for our session. My aching body could definitely use a quick heal.

"Ooh, Taylor, you can take this opportunity to make us some food!" Vicky suggested cheerfully.

"Sheesh, what am I, your maid?" I asked.

"More like wife," Vicky replied. "I'm not going to pay you."

I rolled my eyes but beckoned the two of them to follow me upstairs and out of the basement.

"Any requests?" I asked, mostly to Vicky, since Lily seemed to be far more easy going.

"Real meat. None of that gross seitan or tofu stuff," Vicky insisted.

"It wouldn't kill you to eat a little healthier, you know," I said, even as I pulled some Italian sausage out of the refrigerator. I decided to do something fast, so an easy pasta dish tossed in olive oil with fresh mozzarella, basil, and sausage should hopefully satiate Vicky's ravenous appetite. With the extra money I was bringing in, I didn't feel bad about grocery shopping at the nicer stores in town.

"You don't know that," Vicky retorted. "It very well could."

The three of us chatted amicably while I bustled about the kitchen and prepared lunch. I couldn't remember the last time that I had more than one friend over. I almost wished Dad was here to see me acting like a normal teenager, but he was working overtime again at the office. I was still annoyed that he hadn't shared the Dockworkers problems with the Merchants with me, despite my subtle (and probably awkward) dancing around the subject a few times.

"So, are we ready to get down to business?" Vicky asked, as we finished eating.

"Yeah. Lily, you're good with projectiles, right?" I asked.

Lily hummed in agreement and nodded.

"Does that include using a bow and arrow?"

"Sure. Bows, crossbows, arbalests; I'm good with all of those," Lily replied.

"What the heck is an arbalest? Never mind, hold on a second." I got up abruptly and ran upstairs. From underneath my bed, which was admittedly not a great hiding spot, I pulled out the collapsible compound bow and arrow quivers that I purchased from Toybox a while ago.

"Here," I said, handing over the bundle to Lily after I returned downstairs. "You can borrow this for a while."

Lily picked up the bow gingerly and activated the mechanism that caused the bow arms to unfurl. She gasped softly as she admired the craftsmanship of the tinkertech-derived bow.

"There's two quivers," I explained. "One of them has regular arrows, and the other has electric stun arrows, which I figured could give you a better non-lethal takedown option. The quiver for those acts as a charger as well. I'd try to recover the arrows whenever possible, as they're pretty expensive."

"Wow, this is amazing," Lily murmured as she tugged on the bowstring a little. "The draw weight is pretty low, but my power can easily compensate for that. Thank you for this. I'll definitely put it to good use."

"No problem," I said, smiling at her. "Just, can you teach me how to shoot sometimes? I kind of bought that bow without thinking it through, and I have no idea how to properly use it."

Lily chuckled a bit and nodded. "Sure, I'd love to teach you."

"What? No fair!" Vicky protested as she glomped onto me and started shaking me gently. "Where are my cool toys?"

"Err… I'll let you hold my lightsaber next time we go on patrol?" I suggested. Vicky pouted at me, apparently not satisfied. "Well, I'll get you something nice for your birthday," I hastily added.

"Alright," Vicky said brightly, mollified for the moment. "Let's see, what's first on the agenda."

"The Merchants?" I suggested.

"No, that can be second. We need to talk about getting a better hideout first!" Vicky said emphatically.

"Better hideout? We don't even have a current hideout. I don't think my basement qualifies," I responded.

"Exactly!" Vicky grinned triumphantly. "We need a place that we can really call ours."

"I take it you have some suggestions?" Lily asked, with a bemused expression on her face.

"Yup," Vicky said with a large grin. "Wouldn't it be awesome if we had a mobile hide out? We're right on the Bay, so if we got a yacht, we could even take it to Boston or New York for out of town hero-ing!"

"A yacht? Seriously?" I asked incredulously. "That seems impractical. None of us know how to pilot one or how to take care of one."

"It's a boat, not a puppy, Tay-tay. I don't think it needs that much work to take care of one," Vicky replied, undaunted by my pessimism. Lily was laughing now. She clearly wasn't taking us very seriously.

"And how much is that going to cost me?" I asked.

"Well, you could probably get a modest sized one for a quarter million dollars, and really nice ones for around half a million?" Vicky informed me, with a small shrug of her shoulders. She at least had the decency to look a little sheepish. A quarter of a million dollars… that was like a day or two of healing for Calle. When did I get so desensitized to large sums of money?

"… maybe," I begrudgingly responded. "But I don't want to be stuck taking care of it after you get bored of playing with it!"

"What? That totally won't happen," Vicky promised, with her eyes wide. "I'll take such good care of it!"

Vicky pouted at me and flashed me her best doe eyes. Ughh… must resist... "Let's put that down as a maybe, and revisit it when things are less pressing," I suggested. Vicky smirked a little and acquiesced. Sheesh, don't act like you've won already!

"OK, so if we're done with that," Lily interjected, "I actually have some pressing intel."

"About the Merchants?" I asked.

"The Merchants are bottom dwellers," Lily replied. "Their current boldness is just them taking advantage of the gang war between the Empire and the ABB. I think we should be focused on stopping the actual gang war. The Merchants will scuttle back into whatever hole they popped out of afterward.

"Well yeah, but this personal!" Vicky protested, coming to my aid. "They've been bothering Taylor's dad at his work, so I think we should help out."

Lily frowned. "What have they been doing?"

"Uhhh… I'm not sure," I replied. "I haven't really talked it out yet with my dad." I felt myself blushing in embarrassment as the two of them stared at me. "Look, we haven't been… communicating well… lately," I explained meekly.

"If he needs our help, then I'll definitely be there to support you, Taylor," Lily said, "but I have some new intel on the ABB. They're holding a promotion ceremony two nights from now, where they are going to promote some of their enforcers and upper-level dealers into lieutenants. Several of their capes will be there, and it's a prime opportunity to deal a crippling blow to the ABB if we set up an ambush."

"Whoa, how did you get that info?" Vicky asked, clearly impressed.

"That's… I have a source," Lily replied, looking a little uncomfortable. "I can't share his name with you, but the intel is good."

"Can we share it with the PRT?" I asked. Something of this magnitude seemed like it would require more backup.

"Yes, but we can't trust them to act on an unsubstantiated tip," Lily argued. "If we get a visual on the meeting first and then call the PRT, we'll have a much better chance of forcing them to respond. I think this is our best shot at making a huge difference, right away."

"This would be huge..." Vicky added.

"Do you think you can get the rest of New Wave on board with this?" Lily asked.

"Yeah, they want the gang war to end as much as anybody else," Vicky replied. "I'll talk to them."

The two of them looked at me expectantly. "Yeah… I'll do what I can do help as well," I responded. Hopefully, whatever Dockworker's issue with the Merchants was could wait a few days.

"OK, awesome," Lily said. "The ABB have six known capes right now. As a quick refresher, besides Lung, there's Oni Lee, who serves primarily as an enforcer. Teleports and creates clones, which he uses as suicide bombers. Extremely nasty. Ronin, low tier brute and suspected combat thinker. He uses high caliber pistols and swords. Kazan, has a changer state where he turns into a living statue of molten lava and can create fiery blasts. Bakuda, tinker and newest ABB cape, has created several bombs with exotic effects. Lastly, there's Shikigami, the ABB's youngest cape; she's a wide area shaker that controls razor sharp paper. I don't know if Lung is going to be there, but we should expect to see at least two or three of their capes.

"How young is Shikigami exactly?" I asked. I'd feel a little uncomfortable beating up a little kid, no matter how nasty and scary she was.

"Not sure, probably around 12-15," Lily replied. "She could just be a petite teenager or even young woman. Best not to hold back too much. She's dangerous."

I sighed again and nodded. I couldn't afford to go easy on another parahuman, just because she may be quite young. I was only fifteen after all. There wasn't a guarantee that Shikigami was any younger than I was. With that concern pushed out of the way, it was time to plan.

* * *

April 19th, 2011

I landed silently on the roof of the abandoned warehouse with Mistblade, Laserdream, and Glory Girl, a safe distance from where the actual ABB gang members would be meeting in a few hours. The New Wave girls and I were wearing dark cloaks over our costumes to disguise our approach better. Hopefully, we would be nearly invisible in the dark of night while we were hiding with the cloaks covering us. The rest of New Wave were somewhere nearby, staking out in a different abandoned building. Now all that was left was to wait and see if Lily's source was good or not. Besides Glory Girl, we were the more fragile members of the hasty alliance. We would be serving as the hammer to the rest of New Wave's anvil.

"Well, this is exciting! A stakeout!" Glory Girl whispered to us while we were getting settled in.

"We've done stakeouts before, Vicky," Laserdream whispered back.

"Trust me, it's not nearly as fun when you're stuck monitoring the same building for hours on end with nothing to show for it at the end of the day," Mistblade chuckled softly.

"You sound like you speak from experience?" I asked.

"Yup, being a Ward wasn't all excitement. There's a fair share of boring grunt work, PR events, and paperwork as well."

Glory Girl wrinkled her nose at that statement. "Ughh, sounds awful."

"It wasn't too bad..." Mistblade replied, a bit wistfully. "It'd probably be a little more exciting here in Brockton Bay. The Wards here see substantially more action than the ones in New York City."

"Hmm… well, what did you like about it?" I asked, curious about the path I had not taken.

"Hmm… the camaraderie I suppose," Mistblade said after a moment in thought. "Some of the Wards in New York were assholes, like Shadow Stalker, but most of them were alright. It was almost like a family. Running around with you guys the past few weeks has been fun. The solo act I was doing before was a bit... lonely."

We waited quietly for a bit before Glory Girl broke the silence. "So… why does the ABB still bother doing this initiation or ceremony or whatever while a gang war is going on?" Vicky asked. "It seems so frivolous."

Mistblade shrugged. "Can't appear weak, I suppose. For gangs like the ABB, these customs and traditions often matter more than you would think for the rank and file members."

Glory Girl wrinkled her nose in disgust. "How could any of that possibly matter compared to the horrible stuff that's going on."

"Everyone has to care about something," Mistblade replied. "You have to understand that it's not like most gang members wake up one day and just decided to join a gang. For a lot of them, it's something they grew up in. It's a community, a family. For some, it's all they have ever known."

"They're criminals. It's simply wrong," Glory Girl insisted. "A shitty upbringing doesn't justify it."

"Well yeah I agree, but… I suppose with your upbringing, you wouldn't believe how easy it is to rationalize criminal behavior," Mistblade explained. "From their point of view, the government never did anything to protect them or take care of them. Others feel persecuted and actively hate the established hegemony. All they've ever had to rely on were each other and their communities. I doubt your average gang member views himself as a bad or evil person. How does the saying go? Everyone is the hero of their own story."

"You're given this a lot of thought," I commented.

Mistblade smiled slightly at me. "Basic criminology is one of the required classes that Wards take. But I can emphasize somewhat. I was orphaned at an early age. If an ABB or gang family had taken me in instead of the government, who knows what I'd be doing today."

"What, you're saying you might have been a villain in a different life?" Glory Girl pressed on.

Mistblade simply shrugged again. "Who knows. I never thought I'd be here, doing this, when I was a little girl. You grew up in New Wave, and family is important to you, right? If your parents had been the leaders of a gang instead, but still always treated you with love and care, would you really find it so easy to turn your back on them and betray them?"

Glory Girl frowned and pouted for a bit. "I'd like to think I'd always do the right thing," she said, "but you may have a point."

"I think the takeaway is that we should be thankful for what we do have and where we are in life right now," I cut in.

"Yes, well said,"Laserdream agreed, "and perhaps remember that most of the criminals we face are human beings too, and not nameless monsters."

Glory Girl scrunched her nose up in distaste. I could tell she wasn't quite as compassionate towards criminals as Laserdream was.

"Sometimes, there are monsters in human skin," Mistblade muttered softly. "And we can't afford to be weak when facing monsters."

Vicky nodded; she could at least agree to that. We lapsed into thoughtful silence again for a while. After what seemed like an eternity of waiting around, we finally saw movement on the streets below us. Several unmarked vans had pulled up to what looked like an abandoned building

Lady Photon's voice chimed in over the headsets we were wearing; "we can see what looks like several ABB gang members inside, but we can't confirm the Capes that are with them."

"Wait, I think I have an idea on how to get a visual. Hold on a minute," I said, after noticing that a small bird had landed on a ledge near us. I had the perfect power/spell for this. "Mr. Birdie! Come over here please."

The small bird, who couldn't have been more than half a foot across, chirped softly at me and hopped closer. It looked like a songbird of some kind. Maybe it was even a nightingale, though I really didn't know much about birds or my namesake. _"_ _Food? Food?"_ Mr. Birdie chirped.

"Are you talking to that bird?" Glory Girl asked, with a shocked look on her face.

"Yes, now hush," I instructed Glory Girl. I turned back to the bird. "Mr. Birdie, we need your help. We need you to scout that building over there through one of the broken windows, and report back on every human that you see. A lot of them should be wearing red and green colors. Pay special attention to any human wearing a special costume or outfit that covers their face."

The little songbird cocked its head at me. _"_ _Food? Food?"_ it chirped again.

I sighed and pulled out a granola bar from my utility belt, and crumbled half of it onto the ground in front of him. The bird pecked at the granola furiously. "You'll get the other half when you get back, OK?"

The bird chirped affirmatively, and took off in flight.

"Well… that was new," Laserdream commented. I probably should have told my comrades about my latest power, but it really didn't seem relevant to bring up.

"Wow, you really are like a Disney princess," Mistblade chimed in, "what with the singing and communing with small woodland creatures."

I blushed a bit at the comparison, but tried to play it off nonchalantly while the other girls chuckled at me. "Well, there are much worse things to be than a princess," I said while turning my nose up, trying for an imperious tone of voice.

"Hey, don't get _chirpy_ with us, Nightingale!" Glory Girl said, with a wide grin on her face. The rest of us could only groan. Glory Girl turned and looked at me. "I just hope that the bird doesn't _fowl_ it up!"

"Vicky, stooop!" I begged, but I feared my pleas only fell upon deaf ears.

"Gee Nightingale, you seem _royally_ upset, so just for you, I'll _let it go_!" Glory Girl finished triumphantly.

"Vicky, I'm about two seconds away from blasting you off this roof," Laserdream warned her, with a murderous glint in her eyes.

Vicky's shit eating grin only grew larger. "Heheh, I really _quack_ myself up!"

Thankfully, the little bird returned just in time to save us from any more psychological trauma. _"_ _Plenty of humans! Lots wearing red and green!"_ he chirped cheerfully at us.

"What about any wearing strange costumes or with their faces covered?" I asked.

" _Yes! Little female human riding cloud of colors."_

"Shikigami is there," I translated, both to the rooftop girls and the rest of New Wave through our headsets.

" _Demon faced man wearing black!"_

"Oni Lee is here," I added.

" _Strange man wearing red, face covered in a yellow scarf!"_

"Sounds like Kazan is here as well," I repeated to my non-magical comrades.

" _One more! Man dressed in black carrying lots of swords!"_

"Last cape, Ronin," I said. "Doesn't look like Lung is here."

"Alright," Lady Photon said through the radio. "I'm calling the PRT right now. Sit tight while we wait for a response."

"Anything else you saw?" I asked the little bird.

" _Some humans tied up! They weren't wearing red and green!"_

"Shit, I think there's hostages inside," I informed the others, as I crumbled the rest of the granola bar out and fed it to Mr. Birdie.

"Promotion ceremonies typically involve an act to demonstrate commitment," Mistblade explained. "It's possible that the members being promoted will be asked to execute rival gang members. The hostages are likely to be Empire 88 members."

"The Protectorate are inbound," Lady Photon's voice informed us through the radio. "Sit tight, we'll try to wait as long as possible."

Even if the hostages are E88 gang members, could we really sit by and do nothing if the ABB were going to execute them? We waited tensely for the next few minutes, until we heard a distinctive _pop_ that sounded like a gunshot.

"Shit, we're not waiting any longer. We're going in!" Lady Photon barked over the radio.

* * *

.

 **Author's Note:**

Is it weird that this story, which is actively updating, has more favorites than followers? That seems a little weird to me. Anyways, thoughts/comments on how the story is going so far? I'm somewhat happy with the pacing right now. This was never meant to be a very action heavy story, but do you guys feel there is not enough action? Too much fluff? Not enough Mrs. Fluffypaws? Reviews are always appreciated!

* * *

.

 **Taylor's Current Abilities**

 **Cantrips (unlimited castings)**

· **Mage Hand** – creates a spectral hand that allows Taylor to manipulate objects within 30 feet of her, or allow her to pick up an item up to 10 pounds in weight.

· **Minor Illusion** – allows Taylor to create an illusory sound or image. Sounds can be any voice or sound that Taylor can imagine, and the volume can range from a whisper to a scream. Visual illusions must be no larger than a 5 foot cube, and can't create smell, light, sound, or other sensory effects.

· **Prestidigitation** – a collection of minor magical tricks, such as creating a minor sensory affect, cleaning or soiling a small object, lighting or snuffing out a small fire, creating various small illusions, and other small effects.

· **Eldritch Blast** – fires beams of intense energy at a target. The spell creates more beams at higher levels.

 **Level 1 Spells**

· **Thunderwave** – generates a thunderous blast of force up to fifteen feet out in front of Taylor, hurting and knocking back everything in her path. Generates a thunderous boom audible up to 300 feet away.

· **Sleep** – causes people or creatures in an area up to 120 feet away from Taylor to fall asleep. Can be resisted by those of strong fortitude and constitution.

· **Cure Wounds** – a person or creature that Taylor touches rapidly regenerates towards a healthy state.

· **Speak with Animals** – Taylor temporarily gains the ability to communicate with animals.

 **Level 2 Spells**

· **Invisibility** – Taylor or a person that Taylor touches becomes invisible for up to an hour. The effect ends when an offensive action is taken. Requires concentration.

· **Lesser Restoration** – a person that Taylor touches is cured of one disease or ailment.

· **Detect Thoughts** – lets Taylor read the surface thoughts of people around her? Or is it just a form of super-effective cold reading? Taylor isn't sure. Requires concentration.

 **Level 3 Spells**

· **Major Image** – allows Taylor to create an incredibly realistic illusion no larger than a 20 foot cube. These illusions can move and seem completely real, and even sounds and smells real. These illusions can even generate heat or chill, but not enough to cause bodily harm. Physical interaction with theillusion reveals it to be just an illusion though. Requires concentration.

· **Fly** – Taylor or a person Taylor touches gains the ability to fly for a short duration. Requires concentration.

 **Level 4 Spells**

· **Polymorph** – allows Taylor to shapechange another creature or herself into a new animal form. Unwilling creatures can resist the change if their mental fortitude is strong enough.

 **Other Abilities**

· **Song of Rest** – Taylor can imbue her voice with her power, and people who are resting while listening to her sing regain health more quickly than normal.

· **Countercharm** – Taylor can use musical notes or words of power to disrupt mind-influencing effects.


	29. Aria 4-8

**Aria 4.8**

April 19h, 2011

 _Previously on Nightingale: Even if the hostages are E88 gang members, could we really sit by and do nothing if the ABB were going to execute them? We waited tensely for the next few minutes, until we heard a distinctive pop that sounded like a gunshot._

" _Shit, we're not waiting any longer. We're going in!" Lady Photon barked over the radio._

* * *

New Wave was a well-oiled fighting machine. That shouldn't have been a surprise. The group had been around for years, and had fought their fair share of battles. From what Vicky had told me, the group had mostly scaled back their patrolling and crime fighting lately, but it seemed like the current gang war had pulled the group out of their quasi-retirement.

I, on the other hand, was still a relative newcomer to the cape scene. I had only had my powers for a few months, and had only really been involved in two cape fights. I didn't have the training or experience that the other capes here had, so I wasn't really surprised when Lady Photon had asked me if I wanted to wait with Panacea in the safety of the New Wave van nearby. A little hurt maybe, but not surprised. I couldn't just sit around and wait though while my friends risked their lives, so I politely declined Lady Photon's offer. She did ask me to play it safe though. My role would be just to hang back, use my energy blasts from a distance, and heal when needed.

Ordinarily, this should have been a cakewalk. Four ABB capes without Lung and a handful of non-powered soldiers versus all seven combat New Wave capes, plus Mistblade and myself? With just our numerical advantage, we were counting on a quick and decisive victory before Lung had a chance to arrive. However, we had to account for the ABB's newest addition: the bomb tinker Bakuda. Since anybody there could be armed with a lethal ordinance that could bypass brute ratings, we had to play it safe. Better to let a few criminals escape than lose a family member.

As soon as Lady Photon had given the order to engage, the four of us on the roof exploded into action. The tankier members of New Wave were going to hit the warehouse from the other side, and I flew into the air with Laserdream and Glory Girl. Glory Girl had picked up Mistblade briefly and dropped her right off on the building adjacent to the warehouse we were attacking.

"One doorbuster, coming up!" Glory Girl exclaimed, with a rather forced cheerfulness.

Laserdream let loose a series of laser blasts that crumpled the outer wall of the warehouse a bit, setting up Glory Girl to finish the job when she rammed straight into the wall with the force of a runaway train, and tore down a large section of the wall. A bit of property damage appeared to be unavoidable. I winced a little at the display of wanton destruction, but at least I had enough money to pay for the property damage if it came to that. I could hear some cries of alarm as bricks and debris showered the gang members inside, but they had bigger problems to worry about as they were assaulted by the rest of New Wave from the other side.

I couldn't see the scene too clearly from my vantage point in the air due to the dust from the debris, but I assumed they must have used a combination of Manpower and Lady Photon's powers to quickly demolish the far side wall. Flashbang was doing a good job of keeping the unpowered gang members disabled with his concussive blasts. From what Vicky had told me, although her dad was mostly known for his ability to create orbs that effectively functioned as flashbang grenades, it was less widely known that Flashbang's power could also create far deadlier explosive blasts. Luckily for the ABB thugs below, Flashbang was restricting his power to nonlethal concussive blasts. I could hear screams and a smattering of gunfire, and I could see Shielder and Lady Photon were busy keeping the ABB capes off of them with their laser blasts and shields. Regular ammunition would have little effect against the duo.

With a clear line of sight into the building now, Laserdream and I began launching our energy beams into the building and began pelting the inhabitants inside. Within seconds, most of the unpowered thugs were down and either unconscious or writhing in pain.

Unlike most TV shows or movies that were popular these days, real cape fights rarely lasted more than a few minutes. Most capes could hit a lot harder than what they could take. Mistblade (and myself I suppose) was a good example of that. Her power was absolutely deadly, yet she was almost as fragile as any regular teenage girl. The only fights that tended to drag on longer than a few minutes were usually between capes that had similar brute ratings. The best defense was usually a good offense, and we had just sucker punched the ABB hard. It almost seemed unfair, except we were facing off against criminal scum, so who cared about fighting fair.

Despite our heavy bombardment, the ABB capes seemed to have been able to defend themselves against the initial onslaught. Oni Lee could teleport of course, and judging from a number of loud bangs I was hearing, was already using his grenades. I could only hope that our conjecture that Oni Lee couldn't duplicate Bakuda's tinkertech bombs was true. Shikigami had retreated into a multicolored cocoon of confetti, and was now launching tendrils of confetti at the bunkered down group of New Wave capes. Shielder was hopefully keeping everyone over there safe from the ABB counterattack.

Mistblade unfurled the compound bow that I had lent her, and quickly fired off an arrow at Shikigami. A flash of colored paper coalesced in front of Shikigami to intercept the projectile, but the arrow pierced right through without any loss of velocity. Mistblade must have used her power on the arrow, since I had heard that Shikigami's shields could stop easily stop bullets and had fended off several of my energy blasts. The arrow struck true on the little ABB villain's chest, and for a split second I feared that Mistblade had actually killed her before I realized that Shikigami was convulsing from the electrical discharge of the shock arrow. The confetti cloud she was riding on collapsed, and Shikigami dropped like a rock, falling over a dozen feet or so before landing with a loud thud. Yikes, I don't think legs are supposed to be bend like that. At least I could heal her up after we get her in custody. Sure she was a villain, but if she was as young as we suspected she was, it was highly unlikely that she had any choice in joining up with the ABB.

Kazan had already _erupted_ into his changer form, and molten lava was now dripping off him as he was slugging it out with Manpower. He was quite the sight to behold really. No traces of skin or human features adorned his face anymore, as his transformation had left him looking like a moving, semi-liquid statue made of lava… actually, he kind of looked like a bright red Gumby. And what the heck happened to his clothes? Does his costume just melt off every time he changes, and he has to get a new one?

Ronin must have realized that their position was indefensible, as he moved in a blur and quickly scooped up Shikigami's tiny body. He wasn't as fast as Velocity or anything, but he must have a minor mover rating based on how fast he was moving. It looked like he was getting ready to retreat, or at least was moving the little cape to a safer position.

"Nightingale, watch out!" Laserdream yelled at me.

I whirled around in mid-air just in time to see Oni Lee with his demonic face mask, pointing a gun at me. And then my world exploded into pain. The gunshot must have knocked my flight out, because the next thing I knew I was falling. Luckily I was hovering above the roof of the building next to the ABB warehouse instead of directly over the ground, and only plummeted a relatively short distance before I landed painfully on my side. Ugh. Oni Lee must have hit me in the chest, because I could barely breathe. Broken ribs? The ballistic impact gel that made up my armor padding was supposed to distribute force better than a regular bullet-proof vest, but even so it still hurt more than I thought humanly possible. Oh my god. I just got shot! By a gun!

"Are you alright?" Glory Girl asked. When did she land next to me? "Can you heal yourself?"

I struggled weakly to sit up before giving up, and decided to just try healing myself while I was lying down. The familiar tingle of my healing energy soon swept over my body, and I sighed in relief as my breath returned to me. I kept the healing energy flowing until all the pain receded.

"Where did Oni Lee go?" I asked, as I beckoned for Glory Girl to give me a hand.

Glory Girl helped me to my feet and shrugged. "Laserdream blasted him, and he disappeared into ash. He went back inside I think."

"Uhh… is that?" I asked, pointing towards a blur that was running away from us on two rooftops away.

Glory Girl turned and stared at what I was pointing at. "Shit, that's Ronin, and he's got Shikigami. They can handle things here. Let's get him! Come on!"

Glory Girl flew on ahead of me, and with a quick refresh of my flight power, I took off into the air after her. Ronin was dressed up like a… ninja? I didn't know if that was the accurate way to describe his outfit. He was wearing a red and black bodysuit with a matching hood, with four swords strapped across his back in a crisscross pattern. I had asked Lily why carry four swords, and she had smirked when she said that not everyone gets invincible vorpal swords. Apparently his brute rating was high enough that he frequently broke the blades of the swords on his enemies. Two abnormally large guns were strapped to Ronin's thighs. I think Lily said they were Desert Eagles or something like that. It didn't really mean much to me, but I think I was supposed to be impressed. They were certainly big and shiny. I could only hope that my armor was up to the task of protecting me if he did manage to land a hit on me with that.

He sprinted across the rooftop with impressive speed, and easily cleared the gap between the buildings using powerful leaps. With Shikigami's body slung over his shoulder, I couldn't really blast him without risking hitting the little unconscious girl, and that wasn't a risk I was willing to take. Instead, I tried casting my sleep spell on him… which he completely ignored. Damn, I didn't really expect it to work, but it was still disappointing. Ronin on the other hand, had no reservations about shooting back at us. The crack from his pistol was deafening as I swerved back a little and let him gain some distance. Getting shot one time tonight had been more than enough, and I had no desire to repeat that experience anytime soon.

Glory Girl didn't share my reservations about getting shot though, and with an extra burst of speed, overtook Ronin and landed with a roof-cracking ferocity in front of him as he skidded to a halt. Before Glory Girl could advance on him, Ronin shifted Shikigami's body until she was in between the two of them. What kind of grown man uses a little girl as a body shield? Glory Girl took another step forward while I prepared to launch an energy blast at his now unprotected back. Ronin quickly brought one of his large pistols up and held it to Shikigami's head in response. What the hell?

"You're bluffing!" Glory Girl scoffed at him as she crossed her arms. "Like I'd believe you'd shoot your own teammate. Just give up already." The blaring of sirens that sounded like they were approaching us served to underscore Glory Girl's message.

Ronin kept silent, and instead glanced sideways and down the edge of the building we were on. We were about three stories up.

"Don't you dare!" I hissed at him. Sure he was a villain, but he wouldn't…

He glanced back at us, shrugged, and then tossed the girl he was holding right off the side of the building. What an asshole! Glory Girl and I both dived for her, but she easily beat me to Shikigami considering she was both closer and faster than me. She grabbed Shikigami effortlessly with a couple of feet to spare before landing on solid ground, and waited for me to catch up. When I reached her, Glory Girl unceremoniously shoved the small girl into my arms, almost causing me to tip over from the extra weight as I rushed to set her down. Shikigami was small, but it's not like I could carry around nearly a hundred pounds very easily. Damn my twig like arms.

"Take care of her," Glory Girl said. "I'm going after him." With that said, she took off into the air again, leaving me to deal with the pint sized villainess.

Shikigami was wheezing a bit, but she didn't look like she was too badly injured, besides the broken leg. She groaned a little, and it looked like she was regaining consciousness. I guess getting thrown off of a building will do that to you. I could clearly tell she was in pain. Well, nobody could say I wasn't a charitable person, so I decided to give her a little bit of healing. I didn't want to risk her attacking me even though I couldn't really see any of her paper weapons around, so a quick cast of my sleep spell rendered her unconscious first.

Glory Girl returned a few minutes later, and she dropped down to where I was waiting with an annoyed expression on her face.

"He got away?" I asked, already somewhat certain of the response I was going to get.

"Yeah, he ditched the rooftops as soon as we went to grab the girl." Glory Girl huffed. "Honestly, that's no way to treat a teammate. I would never throw you off a roof, Nightingale."

I immediately thought back to her suggestions on how to unlock a flying power for me before I gained my flight, and began doubting her solemn declaration. Glory Girl picked up Shikigami gingergly, and we started flying back towards where we left the rest of New Wave and Mistblade. The PRT had arrived while Glory Girl and I were chasing Ronin, and I saw Velocity and Dauntless too as we approached. Heh, what a tired cliché. The Protectorate heroes showing up a day late and a dollar short. The government-sanctioned law enforcement personnel were rounding up the incapacitated ABB gang members. Lady Photon and Brandish were speaking with a PRT officer and presumably giving a statement on what had happened tonight.

"I'm going to go drop off the girl and check on my family," Glory Girl said to me as she hovered towards the mass of PRT officers and vans.

I spotted Mistblade hanging back a bit from the crowd by herself, and decided to join her so we could be loners together.

"Are you guys alright?" Mistblade asked as I approached her.

"Yeah, we're fine. Are you OK?" She looked like she was in worse shape than we were. Her armor was cracked at her right shoulder, and there were numerous scuffs on her costume.

"Ah, yeah. Took a bullet to my shoulder. The armor caught it, but there might be a bone fracture under it. Can you take a look at it?" Mistblade replied nonchalantly. She seemed pretty unaffected by it, so either she was tougher than I gave her credit for, or she was doing a great job of hiding it. Either way, it made me feel like a bit of a wuss over my reaction to getting shot earlier. I was nearing the limits of my available energy pool, but I reached out and gingerly pushed one of my healing spells into her. The familiar glow of my spell briefly illuminated my hand before it dissipated. Mistblade sighed in relief as she gave her right arm a few experimental stretches. "Thanks. I appreciate it."

"No problem. How many did we get?" I asked.

"We got Kazan, but Oni Lee got away," Mistblade responded. "I guess that's not too surprising. It was always going to be hard to pin him down due to his teleportation. Looks like Ronin got away too, but we still caught two of their capes as well as a dozen of their unpowered gang members. Half a dozen of them were up for promotion, so they weren't just grunts. They were members with at least some importance to the gang. We struck a big blow against the ABB tonight."

I swelled a bit with pride upon hearing her words. I know it was kind of a stupid risk to come out here when I probably wasn't even needed, but it felt good to actually be making a difference even if it had been a fairly easy fight. "What's going to happen to her?" I asked, looking over at Shikigami as she was getting loaded into a PRT van.

"Hmm, well if she's as young as suspected, the PRT will probably try to terminate her parent's parental rights and gain custody, and then try to force her into the Wards somewhere," Mistblade responded.

"They recruit villains often?" I could understand the rationale, even if I didn't really like it. In the fight against crime and decay, a villain converted to hero was a bigger win than a villain behind bars when you considered the numbers.

"Sure," she nodded. "Happens pretty often. It's all about how you sell it. If your powers are generic enough, a name and costume change in a different city is pretty much all it takes. Shikigami's powers are pretty unique though, so they'll probably play up her young age and spin the narrative to make her seem like a victim instead of a villain. They'll likely move her to a different city though."

"Seems kind of callous, moving a kid away like that," I murmured. It made sense though. No matter how young she is or how much of a victim she was, there would still be people in Brockton Bay who would hold her past crimes against her.

Mistblade shrugged in response. "Once they have custody over her, it's pretty easy to justify. I was never a villain, and the PRT moved me to New York from Chicago."

"Well at least you get to be in Brockton Bay now, the jewel of the North East," I said jokingly. Mistblade chuckled, and though I couldn't be sure because of her visor, I'm pretty sure she rolled her eyes at me.

"You have something there," Mistblade said, pointing to my chest.

"Huh?" I looked down. My costume was damaged from where the bullet had hit me. I could only hope that Parian could fix it without having to make me a completely new dress.

Mistblade reached forward and plucked something shiny out of my costume, before dropping it into my hand. "Here, a souvenir."

I held the bullet up and examined it. The once spherical object had been deformed and flattened significantly by the impact, but it hadn't been able to penetrate the relatively thin padding of my dress. What a grim reminder of mortality. I made a mental note to thank Parian later. "Thanks, I'll keep it in my scrapbook. Every girl always treasures the first time they get hit by a bullet."

* * *

April 21st, 2011

School had been interesting the last two days. Our takedown of the ABB had finally hit the front page of the local newspapers and had made the evening news last night, and it was all everyone talked about at school today. Vicky and I were both giddy with excitement over what we accomplished, except unlike Vicky, I couldn't show it at school. Having a secret identity could be a chore to maintain sometimes.

Of course, Vicky and Eric had been the center of attention (even more than usual) at Arcadia the last few days, and Vicky had happily recounted the events to her many fans. Interestingly, each time she told the story, she seemed to add a few... embellishments. By the end of the school day, she had apparently saved Nightingale's life by shielding her from a hail of gunfire, and had single-handedly punched Kazan into submission. I was pretty sure some of those embellishments was just her way of teasing me, and not because she was a narcissistic egomaniac.

The PHO boards were going wild over what was happening, and it was nice to just bask in the glory of success for once. Deep down though, I knew that there was still a lot more work to be done. With the ABB's firepower severely depleted, it was only a matter of time before the Empire would make a strong push, and the Merchants were still there to take advantage of all the chaos. I was itching to go out on patrol again, but I was taking a temporary break from it since my costume was in the shop to repair the damage from the ABB fight. I also took the opportunity to ask Parian to make me another backup costume so I wouldn't be unprepared again in the future. At least I managed to unlock a new mote of power, even though I hadn't decided yet what I wanted to acquire with it. There were a lot more options available now compared to when I first got my powers, and I had been rather cavalier with some of choices in the past.

I had a couple of hours to kill after returning home from school. Normally I'd get another workout session done in the afternoon, but I was exhausted from the frequent patrols and extra hospital healing sessions that I was doing. Besides, it's not like I really needed it. Three months of healthy eating and a strict exercise regime had left me in the best shape of my life. I couldn't guzzle down the amount of junk food that Vicky could, but I think blowing off one exercise session would be alright.

Before I could settle on how to spend my free time, I heard a thump from upstairs. Hmm, that was weird.

"Dad, are you home?" I called out. He shouldn't be home this early. I grabbed a taser from one of my purses and started heading towards the stairs. I didn't want to reveal my powers unnecessarily, but if the taser wasn't enough, I won't hesitate to energy blast someone in the face.

"Taylor..." A quiet feminine voice called out to me from upstairs.

Lily was lying on my bed. Her face was paler than usual, and she looked sweaty and clammy. She was wearing an oversized hoodie, and she was holding her left arm close to her body. "Hey Taylor," she greeted me weakly. "I could use a little bit of help here."

Lily lifted up her hoodie, revealing a large bloodied and clumsily applied bandage. Yikes.

* * *

.

 **Author's Note**

Well, that's the end of Arc 4. Up next before Arc 5 starts: Mistblade Gaiden, Vicky's Birthday Bash, and a PHO interlude. Also, taking suggestions on what Taylor's next spell should be. Thanks everyone for the reviews and notes about follow vs. favs.

.

* * *

 **Taylor's Current Abilities**

 **Cantrips (unlimited castings)**

· **Mage Hand** – creates a spectral hand that allows Taylor to manipulate objects within 30 feet of her, or allow her to pick up an item up to 10 pounds in weight.

· **Minor Illusion** – allows Taylor to create an illusory sound or image. Sounds can be any voice or sound that Taylor can imagine, and the volume can range from a whisper to a scream. Visual illusions must be no larger than a 5 foot cube, and can't create smell, light, sound, or other sensory effects.

· **Prestidigitation** – a collection of minor magical tricks, such as creating a minor sensory affect, cleaning or soiling a small object, lighting or snuffing out a small fire, creating various small illusions, and other small effects.

· **Eldritch Blast** – fires beams of intense energy at a target. The spell creates more beams at higher levels.

 **Level 1 Spells**

· **Thunderwave** – generates a thunderous blast of force up to fifteen feet out in front of Taylor, hurting and knocking back everything in her path. Generates a thunderous boom audible up to 300 feet away.

· **Sleep** – causes people or creatures in an area up to 120 feet away from Taylor to fall asleep. Can be resisted by those of strong fortitude and constitution.

· **Cure Wounds** – a person or creature that Taylor touches rapidly regenerates towards a healthy state.

· **Speak with Animals** – Taylor temporarily gains the ability to communicate with animals.

 **Level 2 Spells**

· **Invisibility** – Taylor or a person that Taylor touches becomes invisible for up to an hour. The effect ends when an offensive action is taken. Requires concentration.

· **Lesser Restoration** – a person that Taylor touches is cured of one disease or ailment.

· **Detect Thoughts** – lets Taylor read the surface thoughts of people around her? Or is it just a form of super-effective cold reading? Taylor isn't sure. Requires concentration.

 **Level 3 Spells**

· **Major Image** – allows Taylor to create an incredibly realistic illusion no larger than a 20 foot cube. These illusions can move and seem completely real, and even sounds and smells real. These illusions can even generate heat or chill, but not enough to cause bodily harm. Physical interaction with the illusion reveals it to be just an illusion though. Requires concentration.

· **Fly** – Taylor or a person Taylor touches gains the ability to fly for a short duration. Requires concentration.

 **Level 4 Spells**

· **Polymorph** – allows Taylor to shapechange another creature or herself into a new animal form. Unwilling creatures can resist the change if their mental fortitude is strong enough.

 **Other Abilities**

· **Song of Rest** – Taylor can imbue her voice with her power, and people who are resting while listening to her sing regain health more quickly than normal.

· **Countercharm** – Taylor can use musical notes or words of power to disrupt mind-influencing effects.


	30. Interlude - 4 (Parahumans Online)

**Interlude 4 (Parahumans Online)**

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 **Topic: New Wave takedown of ABB! (feat. Nightingale and Mistblade)  
In: Boards ► News ► USA ► Northeast ► Brockton Bay  
Shielder **(Original Poster) (Verified Cape) (New Wave)  
Posted On Apr 20th 2011:  
Hello Brockton Bay! Shielder here.

I know New Wave hasn't been as active lately in the past, but we're still out there fighting the good fight. Tonight, New Wave conducted a raid against an ABB meeting with the assistance of two local independent heroes, Nightingale and Mistblade.

We managed to subdue and capture two ABB capes, Kazan and Shikigami, and over a dozen ABB gang members were arrested as well.

Here's some video footage from the bodycam I was wearing: link

Luckily, none of the Heroes were seriously injured in the fight, and we had the lovely ladies Panacea and Nightingale to heal up our wounds afterwards!

As always, donations to New Wave can be made here: link

Also, shout out to the Nightingale Foundation, which is definitely a worthy charity! Donations can be made here: link

 **(Showing page 1 of 53)**

 **►Comissar_Craner**  
Replied On Apr 20th 2011:  
Holy shit! That's some intense footage there. Glad none of you guys got hurt. Way to go New Wave!

 **►Magiclifter**  
Replied On Apr 20th 2011:  
Heh, did you see that fall Shikigami took? Almost enough to make me feel sorry for the little tyke

 **►A boy named Mon**  
Replied On Apr 20th 2011:  
Magiclifter

I'm not. That little psychopath got what she deserved. She's freaking carved out the eyes of people before!

 **►Acairta**  
Replied On Apr 20th 2011:  
A boy named Mon

That's just an urban legend man. It was never confirmed. Besides, it was supposed E88 thugs that she did that to, so who cares about some filthy Nazis.

 **►Mammalia14**  
Replied On Apr 20th 2011:  
Wow, nice to see someone finally take some action against the gangs. Now why the hell hasn't the PRT been able to do anything about this damn gang war. My shop was wrecked by some ABB hoodlums just last week, and the PRT couldn't even be bothered to stop by and take a statement. Useless govrnment heroes only care about looking pretty in pictures.

 **►Glave**  
Replied On Apr 20th 2011:  
Mammalia14

Well that sounds like more of a job for regular cops anyways. I think you're being a little hard on the PRT. Our local Protectorate is pretty undermanned compared to the threats they have to deal with here! I mean it's great that we have independents like New Wave here, but imagine what the Protectorate could do if they had all our independent capes on their roster, working together!

 **►Red_Panda**  
Replied On Apr 20th 2011:  
Glave  
Oh plz, the protectorate are nothing more than thugs, just like that bitch Shadow Stalker. I go to Winslow, and we had to put up with that psycho terrorzing all of us, with the school and PRT covering up all the shit she does. The PRT are lyin bout not knowing what that psycho was up to. Im sposed to believe its just coincidence that all the complaints over her just magically disappeared?

At least with New Wave, wysiwyg.

 **►Glory Girl** (Verified Cape) (New Wave)  
Replied On Apr 20th 2011:  
I don't know enough about the SS situation to comment, but situations like this are exactly why New Wave feels like we need transparency and accountability for our heroes. Whether it's fair or not, heroes are held to a higher standard than the average citizen.

I never liked Shadow Stalker as a person, but I do know the rest of the Wards though, and they are all decent, good people who do their best to fight for this city. Please don't judge the rest of the Wards or Protectorate based on what Shadow Stalker did.

Anyways, I definitely want to thank Mistblade and Nightingale for their part tonight! Two dangerous criminals are off the street now thanks to their help.

Thank you everyone for your support!

 **►Jazzman**  
Replied On Apr 20th 2011:  
When are you gunna start wearing a bodycam too, Glory Girl? Would love to see stuff from your perspective too!

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 **Topic: Glory Girl and Nightingale spotted at the Brockton Bay Foundation for the Arts Gala!  
In: Boards ► News ► USA ► Northeast ► Brockton Bay  
LSJack **(Original Poster)  
Posted On Apr 17th 2011:  
Glory Girl and Nightingale were spotted at the BB Museum of Art this past Friday being all chummy together . They were out of their regular outfits too, and wearing some reaaally expensive looking formal wear. I love seeing capes out of their regular costume and doing other stuff besides punching each other in the face, so this was really cool to see!

Official pictures from the event photographer here: link  
Pictures from the event on Nightingale's website here: link  
Video of Nightingale's performance here: link

edit: added the pics that Monostasis took: link

 **(Showing page 1 of 71)**

 **►PlasticRiolu2012**  
Replied On Apr 17th 2011:  
Whoa, Nightingale is blonde? Always thought she was a brunette for some reason. Anyways, those ladies look pretty awesome in those pics! Is that a Parian dress that Nightingale is wearing? It looks custom made for her.

 **►Monostasis**  
Replied On Apr 17th 2011:  
Ooh, I was there too! I managed to take some pics with my phone too. Img gallery here: link

 **►Wavelength** (Verified Shipper)  
Replied On Apr 17th 2011:  
Squeeeee! Glory Girl and Nightingale are so cute together! Look at them, so close together and walking arm in arm. OTP forevar!

 **►Riemann_Sphere** (Verified Alcoholic))  
Replied On Apr 17th 2011:  
Gross, aren't they cousins or something? God, when did this place devolve into a shipping mess.

 **►Nagato Thosaka**  
Replied On Apr 17th 2011:  
I don't think they're cousins? I don't believe any of that crap in the Bay Enquirer anyways.

 **►SpiritPie**  
Replied On Apr 17th 2011:  
the foundation for arts is such a shitty charity. who cares what some hoity toity rich assholes are doing when the city is on the verge of collapse

 **►Mantech1**  
Replied On Apr 17th 2011:  
SpiritPie  
Don't be such a drama queen. Brockton Bay really isn't that bad off compared to some other cities. Detroit has it so much worse than us right now.

 **►Vista** (Wards ENE) (Verified Cape)  
Replied On Apr 17th 2011:  
Looking nice, ladies! You two look so cute together! I totally support your relationship! GGxNightingale forever!

 **►MrPigWitch**  
Replied On Apr 17th 2011:  
O_O seriously? Vista ships GGxNightingale?

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 **Topic: Announcement: The Nightingale Charity Concert for the Brockton Bay Revitalization Project  
In: Boards ► News ► USA ► Northeast ► Brockton Bay  
Nightingale **(Original Poster) (Verified Cape)  
Posted On Apr 25th 2011:  
Hi everyone!

I wanted to take this time to personally announce that I will be hosting a charity concert next month. I've been hard at working writing original songs, and I can't wait to share them all with you guys!

My dream is to make Brockton Bay a better and safer place to live, and to restore it to the glorious Brockton Bay that my parents remember. It's definitely not something I can do on my own, which is why I'm reaching out to you guys, the citizens of Brockton Bay.

I have a lot of plans for the Brockton Bay Revitalization Project, starting with the cleanup of the boat graveyard, and hopefully get the Ferry running again. To that end, all profits from tickets and merchandising sales from the concert will be going directly towards the Revitalization Project! My team will also be putting out an official press release in a few minutes.

You can buy tickets on my website, on sale immediately, here: link

If you would like to make a direct donation to my foundation, you can do so here: link

Thank you everyone!

-Nightingale

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Madison eagerly clicked on the link for the concert tickets. This promised to provide a suitable distraction for her collapsing social life. Some of her new friends at Immaculata had come around a bit, and Madison was on speaking terms with them again after the furor over the news program outing Sophia had died down. One of the girls in that clique though, Ally, had always had it out for Madison, and had used the whole thing as an excuse to effectively kick Madison out of the group. Some of the others would've been fine with keeping Madison in the friendship circle, but Ally had browbeat them all into submission with fake crocodile tears about not tolerating bullies. What a bitch.

At least she wasn't being bullied or anything like that. The school had started cracking down pretty hard on bullying. No school wanted to be compared to Winslow. Last she heard, Principal Blackwell had gotten fired over the whole mess. Madison wasn't sure how to feel about that. Madison kind of liked her. Then again, the reason Madison liked her in the first place was because Blackwell never did anything to punish Madison whenever she bullied Taylor. So she probably deserved to be fired.

The tickets weren't cheap, but she could definitely afford them. She quickly added four tickets, the maximum per order, to her online shopping cart. She could always scalp the extra tickets later to earn some spending cash, and she had a feeling that the concert tickets would sell out fast. Nightingale was easily her new favorite hero in town. She could heal, sing and perform, _and_ kick ass all at the same time. None of the other capes in town could do all of that. She was quickly gaining fans in town too, and Madison wouldn't be surprised if the concert even drew in some cape groupies from nearby cities like Providence or Boston.

Maybe Taylor would be free. They hadn't hung out in a while, but Madison actually enjoyed the few times that they did. Hmm, if she was going to the concert, she'd need some appropriate attire as well. A quick visit to the idol cape's website led Madison to purchase a Nightingale branded t-shirt. It was a simple design, just a white t-shirt with Nightingale's red logo stamped on the front of it, but Madison liked it. Her dad wouldn't be happy with the credit card splurge, but hopefully he'd be mollified after she sold the extra tickets.

Her dad had been fairly supportive of her lately ever since she befriended Taylor. He didn't even mind paying for Madison's new kickboxing lessons. It was a new hobby, and one that she never thought would interest her, but getting into that (now internet famous) fight at the mall had been such a _rush_. Something had awoken in Madison that day. She had felt such a disturbing amount of pleasure from punching Emma in the face. Yikes, that couldn't be healthy. Hmmm, maybe her dad's new supportiveness would extend to therapy as well. But for now, Madison was having fun with kickboxing, especially since she was finding herself with far fewer social engagements these days.

Madison pulled out her phone to input the date of the concert into her calendar, and to call Taylor to invite her out on a friend date.

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 **Author's Note**

I don't remember if Specific_Protagonist being Madison was fanon or not, but I went ahead and used it as her screen name since it seems pretty inconsequential. I thought Madison deserved some screen time, so this one is from her perspective. This was originally planned as the last interlude for this arc, but the Lily interlude is going to take much longer to write than I had planned, so enjoy this one in the meantime!

Standard disclaimer: Worm belongs to Wildbow, and Dungeons and Dragons belong to Wizards of the Coast/Hasbro. I own nothing.


	31. Interlude - 4m (Mistblade Gaiden)

**Interlude – 4.m (Mistblade Gaiden, part 1 of 2)**

Fire. It was all Lily could see and feel. Waves of flame licked up the walls of the room she was in and filled her vision with hues of red and orange. "Mom!" Lily screamed out, as she tried to crawl towards the exit. She coughed piteously as her lungs filled with smoke. The heat pressed down upon the little eleven year old girl, and sapped her of both her strength and will. All around her, Lily could hear screams and frantic yelling from the apartments surrounding her.

The last thing she heard before she passed out was the bestial roar of a monstrosity.

The next few months passed by in a blur for Lily. The apartment building she lived in with her mom had burned to the ground during Lung's rampage. Over a dozen innocent civilians had died before Myrddin had shown up and managed to drive Lung off. Lung had fled Chicago shortly after that, taking the rest of his parahuman gang with him to a different city with less formidable capes. Or perhaps he had read the writing on the wall and suspected that a kill order was imminent if he had stayed.

One of the Chicago Protectorate heroes had managed to save Lily before the fire could consume her, but he was too late to save her mother. When Lily awoke in the hospital two days later, she had powers. The PRT had eagerly claimed her after that, and she became a ward, both of the state of Illinois and for the PRT. Not that she stayed in Chicago long after that. A city that dangerous was ill suited for a new Ward as young as Lily, and her PRT psychiatrists had suggested strongly to the PRT that a move would be healthy for her. New York City was a far safer place for a fledgling hero, and Lily was too numb from the pain of losing everything she held dear to protest the move.

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"Are you sure you want to do this?" Legend asked. "Any way I can change your mind?"

Lily sighed. Out of all of the Wards and Protectorate heroes that she had worked with while in New York, Legend was by far her favorite. He didn't really have the time to be a real mentor to any of the Wards due to his numerous commitments, but Lily had always appreciated what little time he had made for her over the years. "It's already done," she said forlornly. "I've already graduated from high school, and the judge has already granted my petition for emancipation."

"You're still only seventeen, Lily. I know you were upset that your requests to transfer to Brockton Bay was denied, but you can still remain in the Wards for another year or two. If you move to Brockton Bay now, the local PRT would be thrilled to have you."

"I know, and I'm not ruling anything out, but this is about more than that," Lily insisted. "I need to take some time and be on my own. Figure out who I really am."

Legend sighed and nodded in acquiescence. "Just be careful, OK? There's a fine line between justice and vengeance, and I would hate to see you go down the wrong path."

"I know. I'm not doing this just for revenge, I promise."

Legend smiled at Lily and held out his hand for her to shake. "Well, on behalf of the New York Protectorate, I thank you for your service, and can only hope that you'll return to us one day. Take care of yourself, Lily."

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Lily meant what she said to Legend. She was in this for justice, and not just revenge. Even after leaving the Wards, she was going to be a hero, and not some kind of blood crazy vigilante. She wanted to see justice served. What pissed her off and ultimately led to her decision to leave the Wards was that the rest of the PRT didn't seem to be as concerned with her about serving justice to Lung. The villain could turn into a large lizard, and that somehow meant he wasn't worth going after? What kind of message was that? That any sufficiently dangerous villain would just be left alone and allowed to be a warlord? Lily refused to accept that. The ENE Protectorate might not be up to the task of taking Lung down, but Lily could. Her power was tailor-made to take down brutes. In all the power testing she had done, she had never come across any Brute or Tinkertech ability that could even slow down her empowered weapons.

New York was safe. With Legend and well over a hundred Protectorate heroes and Wards present, no gang as pernicious as the Empire 88 or ABB would be allowed to persist for very long. If she wanted to survive in Brockton Bay by herself, Lily would have to be careful. The first step was creating a new identity, and she wanted to give it a test run first before leaving for Brockton Bay. The PRT owned the rights to the character "Flechette," and Lily would be committing copyright infringement if she kept using that persona. Not exactly the most heroic way to start her new career.

At least Legend had pulled some strings and allowed her to keep a recolored version of her old armor. Her new costume still had the same design elements, except it was blue instead of deep purple. The visor was also slightly different from her old costume; just enough to avoid confusion or copyright issues. It would save her a tidy sum of money from not having to commission her own bulletproof costume, though she wasn't very worried about money at the moment. Half a decade of being a Ward meant that she had earned a decent amount of money without having to pay for her own living expenses, and she had wasted very little of her wages on frivolous items.

The new costume was nice, but Lily would've preferred to keep her primary weapon, her Tinker-made arbalest with its unlimited grappling chain and nonlethal munition. The first thing she would have to acquire would be a grappling hook of some kind to help her with mobility. Luckily, the market for fancy spelunking toys was fairly robust, and she shouldn't have too much trouble finding something suitable. She still had her darts and throwing knives, but she would need a new primary weapon. A conventional bow and arrow wouldn't be too much more useful than just her throwing darts now that she didn't have reliable access to tranquilizer or taser arrows.

Her enhanced understanding of angles lent itself well to melee weapons as well, and she had excelled in her brief stint in a fencing club. A fencing foil was a familiar weapon to her, and one she could use to good effect with her power. It was a simple but elegant weapon. "Foil." It could even serve as a name for her hero identity.

Lily found herself on the rooftop of a seedier part of Queens later that week, near the apartment she was temporarily staying in since leaving the Wards. The crime rate in New York City was low enough that randomly patrolling usually didn't yield any action. Patrols during her stint as a Ward was more about community outreach and PR than anything else. Instead of wandering around aimlessly, she was camped out on the rooftop of a skeevy bar. There were some PHO reports that Shockjock, a low level independent villain, had been sighted at the bar getting hammered the previous week. Taking him down would be the perfect debut for Foil, so Lily was staking the place out in case he came back. Even if he didn't show up, there was a darkened alleyway next to it, and Lily figured that eventually someone would try to mug a drunken patron. Nobody had shown up last night while Lily waited, but she figured her odds of finding a criminal there was still better than wandering around New York randomly.

Her new costume had originally had white armor panels, just like her old one. Great for appearing on camera, but less so for stakeouts and trying to go unnoticed at night. She had carefully painted the white armor panels with a deep shade of blue that she thought matched the rest of her costume well. It wasn't quite up to the professional standard of a Ward outfit's paint job, but Lily thought that she had done a good job. It was indiscernible from a professional paint job at a distance at least.

After waiting several hours, Lily was just about to call it a night before she spotted a raggedly dressed man skulking in the alleyway. _Well, this seems promising_ , Lily thought. She kept an eye out on the man as she resumed her stakeout. A few minutes later, a drunken woman wearing a tight cocktail dress made her way out of the bar, and started stumbling towards the direction of the subway station past the alleyway. Lily took a second to admire the woman's figure in the very tight dress. The raggedly dressed man also took notice. Spotting her as an easy mark, he popped out of the alleyway with surprising quickness, and yanked the drunken woman's purse out of her arms. The woman gave a screech in surprise before promptly falling down onto her ass. The mugger didn't waste any time sticking around, and started sprinting away down the alleyway.

That was Lily's cue to burst into action. She took two steps towards the edge of the roof and leapt off, using her power to imbue her boots and one of her throwing knives so that she could slide down the side of the building instead of plummeting to her death. With her free hand, she pulled a throwing dart out from her thigh holster and flung it at the retreating mugger.

The dart struck true, pinning the side of one of the mugger's boots into the ground, and amazingly avoided actually hitting any flesh. The amount of precision necessary for such a throw was impossibly high for any regular human, but Lily's combat Thinker power made such extraordinary feats possible. The sudden impediment disrupted the mugger's running motion, causing his ankle to twist painfully as he faceplanted at full speed into the ground.

Lily slowly approached the downed man with her foil drawn. He was groaning in pain on the ground, and did not look like he had any fight left in him.

"Gah! S-stay away!" The man whimpered. "Don't hurt me!"

"Relax, I'm a hero," Lily stated.

"Hero? You broke my ankle!" The man yelled at Lily as she got closer, his courage growing stronger now that it looked like the cape wasn't going to hurt him anymore. Blood poured from his now broken nose. "Seriously? What the hell? I'm just trying to not starve tonight. Some hero you are, you bitch!"

"Are you seriously trying to high road me?" Lily asked with a scoff. "You tried to mug that lady. This is your own fault."

The mugger sneered at Lily. "I doubt she was a lady. And you sure as hell ain't one either, prancing around in the middle of the night wearing that whorish outfit."

Lily narrowed her eyes at the miscreant. Lily whacked the would-be mugger with her foil. She was careful not to use the tip, so she could only use the flimsy, flexible blunt blade.

"Ow! You stupid bitch!" The mugger yelped as he rubbed the spot on the arm where she had struck him.

Lily sighed and whacked the mugger again. She didn't want to risk breaking the blade, so she couldn't even use her full strength. It wasn't very satisfying.

"Stop it you whore!" He screeched.

Lily whacked the mugger again.

This was not quite the debut she was looking for.

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* * *

.

"OK, maybe a fencing foil wasn't the best choice for a primary weapon," Lily muttered to herself as she examined the thin blade.

Sure it looked cool, and it was fast as hell, but it didn't have much stopping power unless she was channeling her power into it. She was good enough with it that it wasn't really much of an issue, but sometimes she just really wanted to whack somebody hard with the blunt side of a blade. It would be cathartic if nothing else.

Three days later, Lily was the proud owner of a pair of Japanese short swords, or _ninjato_ as they were called in her native tongue. They were still small and light enough that Lily could swing them without any difficulty, but they had enough heft to them that she could do some real damage if she just wanted to work out her frustrations physically. The thicker blade also meant that she should also be able to theoretically deflect bullets with the blade, although she had had not worked up the courage yet to try that particular feat. Lily had gone on a bit of a shopping spree, buying tools and equipment that she would need now that she was going independent.

The name "Foil" didn't fit very well anymore though, so Lily had to come up with a new one. Maybe something with "Blade" in it? She liked the idea of naming herself after a melee weapon to throw off her enemies. If they were focused on her melee abilities, they'd be more likely to underestimate her capabilities with her projectiles. Lily shrugged her shoulders. She could put it off until later. It wasn't like she was planning on doing any more PR events now that she wasn't with the Wards. She'd be happy just to work from the shadows. A new name could wait. It was time to leave New York.

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* * *

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Brockton Bay was a shithole, Lily thought to herself. There really wasn't a nicer way to put it. The loss of most of the middle class jobs once the shipping industry had collapsed had divided the city into the haves and have-nots, and the desperate citizens who had chosen to stay had the unenviable choice of toiling away at low paid menial jobs or turning to the gangs. Even one the few bright spots of the city, the local beaches and bay were marred by the rotting derelict ships that made up the boat graveyard.

Lily huffed at the thought. Honestly! It was the 21st century, and Brockton Bay was still dealing with Nazis. How does a Nazi gang even recruit so many people? If there was one thing that universally despised by everyone, it was Nazis. She didn't want to stay in the city for very long, but taking down Lung didn't look like it was going to be an easy task. Lung was very much a _sleeping_ dragon, and he left a surprising amount of the work of running a gang to his subordinates. Most villainous capes in general rarely showed up in public, since they were wanted criminals after all, but Lung was especially evasive. There hadn't been a public sighting of Lung in months. If she wanted to wake the sleeping dragon, she would have to prod him first.

Hence, the crappy studio apartment in ABB territory that she was moving into, and the part time job at a nearby sushi restaurant for appearance's sake. It was quite the downgrade from her lifestyle as a Ward. Lily growled in frustration as the Ikea bed she was trying to assemble collapsed. "Damn you Ikea, and your shitty Fjellsilvolkarva bed!" Lily muttered in frustration.

The doorbell rang before Lily could destroy the bed frame in fit of rage. Lily sighed and got up to answer the door, which revealed a young man standing just beyond her entryway. The man wasn't particularly large or well-muscled, and he didn't have the threatening look of a hardened gangster. Lily's eyes briefly glanced down to his outfit, a green jacket and red shirt, which she recognized as the ABB's gang colors. Lily estimated that he was in his early or mid twenties, and probably could have passed as an average college fratboy. He was also carrying a fruit basket.

"Hi neighbor!" The young man greeted Lily cheerfully.

"Uhh… hello?" Lily responded tentatively.

"I'm Jin," the man said, flashing Lily a lopsided smile. "I'm one of your neighbors."

"Lily Hirano," Lily introduced herself. "Do you have a last name?"

"Ah, Jin is my last name," he said, looking a little sheepish. "My first name is Albert, but please don't use it. Nobody does. I just go by Jin."

"Ok, Jin. Nice to meet you," Lily said.

"Here, this is for you." Jin handed the fruit basket over to Lily. "Do you mind if I come in for a second? There's just a few things I want to go over with you."

Lily gestured for him to follow her inside as she set the basket on her kitchen counter.

"Thanks," Jin said. "Are you new in town?"

"Yup," Lily replied. "Moved here from New York. Couldn't afford to keep up with rent there."

"Ah, well Brockton Bay is definitely a cheaper place to live, but you have to be careful here. It's not as safe here as New York. Here, take this." Jin pulled out a small map from his jacket pocket and handed it over to Lily. "I'd recommend you take a picture of it on your phone so you have access to it at all times."

Lily examined the map, which revealed different portions of the city shaded over in different colors.

"The red areas are Empire 88 territory. Ah, they're the local gang of Nazi scum. You'll want to stay out of there as much as possible. Those racist dirtbags wouldn't be above hurting a young lady like you just because of the color of your skin."

Lily nodded. She already had a rough idea of the current areas that the different gangs held, but the map was still a nice thing to add to her portfolio.

"The yellow parts are Merchant territory. Not too safe either after nightfall," Jin continued. "The green parts are the areas that are mostly safe. I'd recommend staying within those areas as much as possible."

"The green parts are ABB territory?" Lily asked. She already knew that the ABB couldn't possibly control all the green areas, but she needed to feign ignorance.

"Ah, nah. Those are just the safe parts of town," Jin explained. "It's ABB territory, heavily Protectorate patrolled territory, and stuff like that."

"Thanks for the map. I appreciate it." Lily walked over to her kitchen and pinned the map to her refrigerator with a small magnet.

"So, are you looking for work?" Jin asked.

"No, I uhh, found a job already. At Ichiiran Sushi," Lily told him truthfully.

"Oh, awesome. That place is good. If you need to make some money on the side though, just let me know. I can hook you up."

"I'm not interested in any gang work," Lily quickly replied. She had briefly considered infiltrating the ABB as a gang member when she first got to Brockton Bay, but quickly dismissed the idea as completely asinine. Lily wasn't stupid enough to think that _that_ would end well. She knew the type of things that parahuman gangs required new capes do to earn entry.

"Hey, hey, no problem at all, I understand completely." Jin held his hands up in a placating fashion. "You should know though, that very few members of the ABB are _actually_ members of the ABB in the way that you think. Most aren't involved in any of the gang's illegal activities at all. It's more about the community, where we can look out and take care of each other when we need help."

Lily sighed. She didn't really doubt that Jin was telling the truth. The estimated number of ABB's footsoldiers was small compared to the total Asian population of Brockton Bay. As she learned in her criminology classes while she was a Ward, many minority based gangs operated similarly. "I know," Lily said, "but I just want to keep my head down for now."

"Sure, absolutely," Jin said. "I don't blame you. I wanted to do that also, but, well, there aren't many decent jobs in town anymore. The only reason I joined up was to make sure my mom and sister were taken care of. I promise you, I've never actually hurt anyone." He leaned in a bit, and whispered the next part quietly, "I _do_ need to collect protection money from you, though."

Lily narrowed her eyes at him. "Do you, now?"

"Don't worry, it's very affordable!" Jin said cheerfully as he grinned at Lily. "It's just one dollar. By the way, I think you dropped this."

Jin held out his hand, and dropped a couple of quarters into Lily's hand. Lily stared at the quarters in her hand for a few seconds before returning them back to Jin.

"Thanks!" Jin grinned easily at Lily. "I'll make sure you're taken care of."

"Seriously? That's it?" Lily raised her eyebrows questioningly. "Why even bother?"

Jin shrugged. "It's about the principle. You've paid for ABB protection, and now we're obligated to protect you from the Nazi scum that pollute this town. We take care of our own here. It's not like we're going to shake down our own people for money when they can't afford it."

"Well… thanks," Lily said reluctantly.

"No problem!" Jin was smiling with that goofy grin of his again. "I was serious about earlier. If the skinheads or anyone else ever give you any trouble, give me a call. Brockton Bay is a dangerous town. You need people to watch your back here. Or you can find me here. I'm on the fifth floor, apartment 513."

"Alright, I'll keep that in mind," Lily said. "Thanks."

"Now, why don't I help you assemble the rest of your furniture?" Jin suggested.

Lily waited a few hours after her visitor left before pulling her laptop out and booted it up on the hidden partition that contained her cape work. Opening one of her virtual notebooks, she started typing up a new entry.

Albert Jin – ABB community leader/liason? - doesn't seem like a street level thug. Likely has many contacts within ABB. Possible information runner?

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* * *

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 _This would be so much easier if Jin was just another gangster scumbag_ , Lily thought, as she broke into his apartment the week after their introduction. Sure he was involved with a rather unscrupulous gang, but the young man had seemed… nice. She had carefully kept track of his schedule patterns, and slipped in when she was sure that he would be out for a while.

She needed more information on the ABB's operations, and while she wasn't sure how much value Jin could provide, it was definitely a start. She wore a hoodie with a bandanna wrapped around her lower face, just in case someone spotted her picking the lock to Jin's apartment. Picking the knob lock on the door was child's play for Lily, and Jin hadn't even bothered locking the deadbolt. "You'd think a criminal would be a bit more concerned about safety," Lily muttered quietly to herself as she slipped into his apartment.

Jin lived alone, and his one bedroom apartment definitely resembled a typical bachelor's pad. Loose articles of clothing were strewn about haphazardly, as well as several day old pizza and take out boxes. Lily scrunched her nose up in distaste. There was such a _guy_ smell in the apartment. As if she needed any more convincing that she was glad that she would never have to worry about living with a man.

In her pocket were two of the high tech audio bugs that she had obtained before leaving New York. They were small enough to be discreet and easy to hide, yet the advance battery pack meant that they could run for weeks without requiring Lily to recharge them. She walked through his living room, her eyes darting around searching for a suitable hiding spot. She walked up to his couch and picked up one of his couch cushions. She pulled the zipper open and hid the first bug inside the couch cushion. She stepped into his bedroom next. The blankets on his queen sized bed lay unmade in a messy pile. A heap of dirty laundry lay on the armchair in the corner of the room.

Lily rolled her eyes at the sight as she searched for a place to hide the second bug. She wanted to search the apartment for evidence, but she couldn't risk tipping Jin off that somebody had been in his apartment. She wanted to slip the bug into the armchair cushion, but she didn't want to risk moving his clothes around. Not that she thought he would notice, given the unkempt state of the room. Still, she limited herself to only a visual inspection of the apartment, which didn't reveal much except a couple of baggies of marijuana. Ultimately, she decided to pull up one of the corners of the carpet, and hid the bug underneath. Taking care not to leave any evidence of her presence, she quietly slipped out of the apartment.

The next few days had provided interesting listening material for Lily. Her hunch that Jin was some kind of community leader was correct, as he frequently had ABB visitors over, though most of her eavesdropping material was only useless gossip. He didn't seem like a soldier based on the conversations she had overheard, though he was definitely at least a drug dealer. It seemed like his role was some kind of distributor or runner of information and drugs. It was a higher level position than a common foot soldier, and one that would put him at lesser risk from the law.

It wasn't enough information for Lily to make a real move against Lung, but it was a start. It was also enough to start an information exchange arrangement with one of the local information brokers, a thinker cape calling himself Insight. Lung didn't want to come out of hiding, so Lily would have to force him out.

.

* * *

.

Lily leapt across the rooftop, the dead of night obscuring her form as she ran. Insight had provided her with the location of an ABB meth lab, and Lily intended to raise a ruckus. The rooftops of Brockton Bay simply didn't _flow_ as well compared to the buildings in New York. The skyline was a jarring mix of tall and low buildings. Traversal was a bit of a pain, but at least Lily had managed to buy a grappling hook gun in New York to help her scale buildings. Taking off into a sprint, Lily pushed her power into the cleats of her boots in midleap and landed in a slide. Instead of cutting into the ground, her cleats now slid across the surface of the rooftop with their thanks to their new nearly frictionless property.

Most people thought her power was limited to destroying things, which was admittedly the easiest application of her power, but it had other uses as well. She could manipulate the general physics of objects that she imbued with her power, including gravity, friction, and air resistance. Learning to skate across any surface while wearing her boots had taken some trial and error, including suffering some embarrassing falls.

As Lily neared the location of the drug lab, the sound of screaming filtered into her ears. Lily frowned; her plan was to take it slow and try to bait out an ABB cape, but it sounded like her plans were about to be dashed. She picked up her pace and arrived at the rooftop adjacent to the meth lab just in time to see several ABB gang members pour out of the building, screaming at the top of their lungs while they clawed at their skin. _Well, that was ominous_ , Lily thought to herself as she stared at the scene apprehensively. Deciding that she didn't want to deal with this alone, she quickly pulled out her phone and called in a tip to the PRT hotline. In the meantime, there were some ABB thugs to take down.

The PRT response time was impressively quick, and Lily only had to wait a few minutes before she was met by Brockton Bay's resident speedster, Velocity. The blaring of sirens indicated that more law enforcement was incoming, and it was little surprise that Velocity was the first to arrive on scene.

"Are you the cape that called it in?" Velocity asked as he warily approached Lily.

"Yes, that was me," Lily responded slowly, showing Velocity her palms to indicate that she was friendly.

"You did all this?" Velocity pointed to the half dozen or so ABB thugs that were ziptied on the ground. Some of them were groaning rather piteously.

"Uhhh, sort of? It looked like they were being attacked by insects when I showed up, though all the bugs dispersed when I showed up. I didn't see any other capes here."

Velocity rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Sounds like Arachne. She's hit a few ABB locations before, though she never sticks around to make a statement or anything. Never actually seen her in person actually. It's always just the bugs."

"Oh… how do you know she's a she, then?" Lily asked.

"Uh, I guess we're not sure? Witnesses who have heard her 'swarm' voice before have said that she sounded female. If Arachne's not female, she hasn't bothered to correct us, so we're just going to keep assuming she is until we know otherwise."

"Ah, that makes sense," Lily replied just as a second Protectorate hero caught up to Velocity.

 _Whoa, holy skintight catsuit!_ Lily did a double-take on the new cape. She was a petite young woman wearing a skintight white and gray bodysuit that had glowing circuit-like patterns etched onto it. Lily recognized her as one of the local Protectorate heroes named Battery, and she also couldn't help but notice that she definitely had the curves to pull off that skintight outfit.

"Wh-what? Ahem, sorry," Lily cleared her throat sheepishly when she realized that Battery had asked her something. "What did you just say?"

"I said, hero or villain?" Battery asked again, her stance signifying a cautious readiness.

"Hero," Lily responded immediately. "But I mean… is anyone really going to admit that they're a villain if you're just asking?"

Battery glared at the young heroine.

"Hero! I mean, I'm definitely a hero." Lily grinned sheepishly at the Protectorate heroine.

"Do you have a name?" Battery asked.

"You can call me… Doomblade!" Lily stated proudly.

"Seriously?" Battery gave the young heroine a hard stare. "Aren't you trying to convince us that you're a hero?"

 _Shit. Was that name too villainous?_ "No, I was just kidding!" Lily blurted out. "Uh, the name's Foi-, no wait, it's Mistblade."

Battery gave an exasperated sigh, as Velocity chuckled in the background. "Are you sure?" She asked.

"Yes." Lily nodded confidently. "Mistblade."

"Well alright then, I'll go ahead and use Mistblade for the report. Can you tell me what happened here?"

Lily briefly explained what had happened while Velocity went to check on the downed thugs. Lily had already done a cursory examination, and none of the ABB gang members had looked too seriously injured.

"Thanks, would you be willing to come into the PRT and give a full statement there?" Battery asked. "Assuming you're still a minor, I believe the Wards program would be a good fit for you, and we can help you figure out the full range of your abilities."

"Oh, I'm not a new cape," Lily said. "I've been around for a while in other cities. I've already done the whole power testing thing."

Battery frowned. "Still, it would be helpful if you came in and registered with the local PRT if you're going to be active here in Brockton Bay."

"Look, I don't have time for that right now. I need to get back home. Sorry, maybe some other time?" Lily flashed Battery an apologetic smile before taking off into the night.

The next day, there was a PHO thread on Mistblade, the newest independent cape in Brockton Bay.

.

* * *

.

Lily paced in frustration in her apartment. The first public sighting of Lung in months, and she hadn't been there to do anything. First was Lung's rampage a few days ago, which based on what Lily overheard from her bugs, was in retaliation against the Undersiders for robbing one of his casinos. The whole thing didn't make much sense to Lily. The Undersiders were a small time gang who had kept under the radar so far. Attacking a major ABB operation seemed unusually foolish.

The Undersiders had escaped with their lives, though not unharmed, and Lily was certain that Lung was not finished with the group of teenaged criminals. Thus, Lily had spent the next two days trying to dig up as much as she could on the Undersiders, in the hopes of being there the next time Lung reared his ugly head. Instead, Lung had attacked Parian and a pair of independent heroines at the Boardwalk! Apparently, Arachne had done something to _really_ piss Lung off, and he had retaliated by burning Parian's shop down to the ground.

By the time Lily had made it to the Boardwalk, Lung had already retreated, driven off by a combination of Parian, Glory Girl, Nightingale, Dauntless, and Purity of all people. The Boardwalk was one of Brockton Bay's most popular destinations. After such a high-profile attack, Lung would undoubtedly lay low for a while. Lily had been in Brockton Bay for over a month now, and she was getting a bit impatient. Maybe trying to do it all on her own was a mistake. She was also rethinking some of her earlier assumptions. Maybe the PRT didn't let Lung run around simply because they were scared of him, but rather that proper police work was _hard_. It was hard enough getting convictions against mob bosses before the advent of parahumans, and the introduction of secret identities and superpowers had only made things harder.

She was almost tempted to take up the offer of a strange man who had contacted her over the internet. He called himself Overwatch, and he had offered to sponsor her as an independent hero. Lily had turned him down of course, since trusting strange men over the internet who promised you nice things was rarely the right course of action for young underage girls. Plus, she already had enough money to live on for a while, as well as an information sharing agreement with Insight. The only thing Overwatch really had to offer was contacts with the other local heroes that he was sponsoring. It was tempting, but Lily wasn't that desperate yet.

A knocking on the door interrupted Lily from her ruminations. After taking a quick glance through the peephole, she opened the door.

"Hey Jin," Lily greeted her visitor. "What's up?"

"Lily, hi!" Jin replied cheerfully. "I'm having a small get-together later at my apartment. Mostly for the younger crowd that live in this neighborhood. I would love it if you could make it."

Lily was prepared to reject his invitation out of hand, but something caused her to stay her response. Jin had invited her to a couple of other social events over the last few weeks, but Lily had always politely declined. Maybe it was the loneliness of her mission, or maybe it was the opportunity to gather more intel on suspected ABB members. "Sure, when is it? I'll stop by if I'm free."

At the party, Lily was able to put a face to several of the names that she had overheard most often visiting Jin's apartments: Edward Po, Jin's best friend and a large heavyset man that she guessed was an enforcer for the ABB; Julie Wang, one of his groupies; Jay Chan, resident deadbeat moocher and pothead. Most of the people that showed up to the party though didn't seem to have any ABB affiliation. Mostly just Asian college students or young adults living in the neighborhood. Lily saw some pot getting dealt, but nothing harder than that. After taking some mental notes, Lily decided just to enjoy the party.

.

* * *

.

Lily cursed as she dove towards the side to avoid the blades of air that lanced through where she was just standing. Insight had provided the location of another ABB target to hit, yet once again Lily found that she wasn't the only one who had showed up. Arachne had shown up again, judging by the unnatural swarm of insects that were buzzing about. Unfortunately, a pair of Empire 88 capes, Stormtiger and Cricket had also decided to make an appearance. That was the trouble with information brokers: if they were willing to sell you information, they probably wouldn't mind selling it to others as well. Lily grumbled in frustration at the situation she found herself in.

Bugs were swarming the two Empire capes, though not with any apparent success. Stormtiger, an aerokinetic, was somehow able to use his power to keep the bugs off of him. Cricket wasn't as impervious, and Arachne had managed to land some bugs on her. Free to attack, Stormtiger whipped his arms at Lily, sending blades of compressed air whistling towards the young heroine. Lily ducked behind a car, using the hardened steel as cover from the Empire cape's assault.

Lily popped out behind cover and flung a spread of darts towards Stormtiger. The Empire cape swept his arm down, bringing his power up to create a swirling field of air to stop the barrage of projectiles. Lily smirked as the darts passed through Stormtiger's field of air completely unimpeded, nailing his feet to the ground before the power that she had imbued them with worn off. Stormtiger cried out in pain before falling over.

Cricket rushed forward, brandishing her dual kamas. She whistled as she ran, and Lily felt her head spin as Cricket approached close to her. She stumbled backwards a bit, disoriented by the effect of Cricket's power. A wave of insects rose up to meet Cricket, causing the villainess to falter, but she pushed through and swung one of her kamas at Lily's neck. Lily recovered herself enough to throw herself backwards just in time, narrowly avoiding the blade. She drew one of her short swords, and pushed her power into the blade. Cricket followed her target forward and swung both her kamas down at Lily. Lily swept her sword up to meet the twin kamas, and shattered Cricket's weapons effortlessly as her sword passed through them.

Cricket back-flipped away from Lily as more bugs began to crawl towards her. The blaring of sirens signaled the approach of law enforcement, and Cricket ran towards Stormtiger. She bent down to try to free him from the darts that were pinning him down, but was interrupted when Lily flung another dart at her. Cricket sidestepped quickly out of the way, and dodged again when Lily threw another pair of darts. Cricket exchanged a glance with Stormtiger and took off running in the opposite direction, abandoning her teammate behind.

"Shit, I'm running out of darts," Lily muttered to herself, making a mental note to buy more of them when she had the chance.

.

* * *

.

"Cotton candy, Lily?" Jin offered, holding out a stick of fluffy sugary goodness.

Lily accepted the snack and thanked Jin. They were at the Boardwalk festival with a couple of Jin's friends that Lily recognized from his last get together, and the place was bustling. They'd been hanging out more since the party that Jin had hosted. Despite his less than savory ties to the ABB, Lily still found herself enjoying his company.

It seemed like half the town had turned out to celebrate the completion of most of the repairs. It was a little bit weird being there with Jin, someone who didn't do much to hide his affiliation with the ABB, considering that it was Lung who had wrecked the Boardwalk in the first place. At least he and his friends were out of their usual ABB colors today.

"Wow, this place is packed," Julie commented, as they shuffled their way through the throng of people.

Po grunted in assent. He wasn't the most loquacious person around.

They wandered about the Boardwalk for a while, until a phone call pulled Jin away from the group. Po and Julie continued on, but Lily stayed back and waited for Jin to finish his call. She wasn't able to overhear anything important though, since Jin spoke in a hushed tone completely in Chinese.

"Sorry about that," Jin said, putting his phone away back into his pocket.

" _Work_ call?" Lily asked, her tone slightly disapproving.

"Hey come on," Jin whined. "You know I don't do any of the bad stuff."

"But the rest of the gang does heinous things. That's hard to ignore."

Jin sighed and rubbed his face, losing some of his usual cheer. "The ABB didn't used to stand for Azn Bad Boyz, you know," he said.

"Oh? That's a terrible name, by the way," Lily replied.

Jin groaned. "Ugh, I know. But back in the day, it was just a non-profit community organization called Asians of Brockton Bay. It was all about helping each other. Something the community could really lean on. And then the fucking parahumans co-opted it and used it to recruit for their gangs."

Lily frowned at that revelation. "That's a shame. Sounds like they were doing good before… Lung and the other capes showed up."

"Yeah," Jin nodded in agreement. "Fucking capes. All they do is make things worse. It's up to us now to take care of each other and watch our backs."

"The ABB does a lot more than just take care of their own," Lily muttered, somewhat miffed at the blanket slight against her kind.

Jin's expression turned even more somber. "I know, Lily. You don't have to remind me of that. But what can I do about it? Not even the PRT or Protectorate can deal with Lung or the fucking Nazis in town. What am I supposed to do?"

Lily sighed. "You're right. There's nothing you can do about it. Let's just enjoy the festival today."

Eventually, the group made their way to the main stage, where Nightingale was scheduled to give a performance. Insight had contacted her recently, letting her know that Glory Girl and Nightingale wanted to meet her. Considering how little she had actually accomplished since arriving in Brockton Bay, Lily was definitely amenable to a team-up.

"Hello, Brockton Bay!" Nightingale called out to the crowd from the stage. The relatively new cape had already managed to acquire a surprisingly large number of fans. Lily watched with amusement as the white-clad cape gave a speech filled with optimism and sparkles. She could practically picture the PRT PR department salivating at the opportunity to get their hands on the charismatic singer and healer.

With her speech finished, Nightingale began singing. Lily had been to a few of Canary's shows in New York, and while Nightingale's singing wasn't quite as enthralling as Canary's, Lily was still captivated by the performance. _Brockton Bay may be a shithole, but at least there was some nice eye-candy around,_ Lily thought. _Battery with her skintight catsuit, the blonde bombshells Glory Girl and Laserdream, the cute new healer/singer Nightingale, the fashionista rogue Parian… even Purity was kinda hot once you got past the ex-Nazi part._

.

* * *

.

"I don't know what to do!" Jin paced frantically in Lily's apartment. His hair was a mess, and the deep bags under his eyes revealed that he hadn't properly rested recently.

"What's wrong?" Lily asked.

"They… they want to promote me!" Jin yelled out.

"Slow down, and start from the beginning," Lily instructed.

"It's the fucking gang war!" Jin bemoaned. "The ABB has lost too many of their soldiers. Now they're press-ganging more people into joining their stupid war. They want me to step up and be a lieutenant. I-I'm just a community organizer. Sure I sell pot and keep everyone in the building connected, but I never wanted to go any further than this. I don't want to hurt people."

"How much time do you have." Lily kept her voice firm and strong. It was a technique that she learned while she was in the Wards. If you radiated as much authority and confidence as you can, you can usually get people to do what you wanted them to do before they had a chance to second guess themselves.

"T-the promotion ceremony is three nights from now," Jin muttered out as he continued pacing.

"Where?" Lily asked insistently.

"Wh-what? Why does that matter?" Jin asked, confused.

"Focus Jin! When and where?" Lily repeated forcefully. She felt a little bad about pumping him for information now, but she needed to know. This could be just the opportunity she was looking for.

"The abandoned warehouse on Bay Street and Cedar Avenue," Jin replied.

"Jin, listen to me. You don't want to do this, right? Hurt people, even kill?" Lily asked.

"Of course not!" Jin replied indignantly.

"Then you need to leave," Lily said. "Get out of town and start a new life somewhere."

"What? I can't just leave!" Jin protested. "People depend on me here. I can't just abandon them. My mom is here too."

"Take her with you, Jin. You have some money save up, right? Go find your sister in Boston or something."

"But… what about everyone else?" Jin asked miserably. "People here depend on me."

"You can't help anyone if you're dead or in prison. This is your chance to start a new life, away from this hellhole of a town. I think you should take it."

Jin stopped pacing and turned to face Lily.

"Jin," Lily said softly, placing her hands on his shoulders. "Do the right thing here."

Jin stared back at her for a moment. "You… you're right."

.

* * *

.

Progress. It was the first time Lily really felt like she was making any headway towards her goals. Teaming up with New Wave and Nightingale and using the information Jin had provided had been a godsend. Now, two of the ABB's capes were in PRT custody, and over a dozen ABB lieutenants were in jail. The ABB's enemies would surely capitalize on their moment of weakness, and Lung could no longer afford to stay so hidden. Lily felt a pang of guilt over her role in destabilizing Brockton Bay's criminal underworld, but it was necessary to see justice done.

A banging on Lily's front door interrupted her from her reverie. Before she could get up and answer the door, whoever was standing outside kicked the front door open with a thunderous bash. Lily recognized the large heavyset man that entered her apartment. "Po! What the hell are you doing?" Lily asked.

Po was quickly followed by three other thugs dressed in ABB colors. "Jin's dead." Po glared at Lily menacingly.

Lily's blood froze. She thought for sure that he had made it safely out of town. "What? How?" Her eyes quickly scanned the other intruders. None of them were bearing weapons yet, so they were clearly underestimating her. Unfortunately, Lily didn't have any of her tools or weapons on her, which severely limited her combat ability.

"You were the last one he talked to before he tried to skip town," Po grunted out. "The boss wants to talk to you."

 _Yikes, well that's not happening,_ Lily thought.

Po stomped forward, and reached out to grab Lily. Lily yanked her arm back before Po could make contact, and immediately followed up with a sharp thrust towards Po's throat. Outnumbered and without her regular weapons in such a confined space, Lily could not afford to go easy on her assailants. Po collapsed instantly, gurgling as he clutched at his throat. Lily grimaced internally. Hopefully that didn't do _too_ much damage.

The other intruders sprang into action and rushed Lily all at once. The first to reach Lily tried to grab her, and Lily responded by twisting her body and executing a perfect hip throw, tossing the thug flat onto his back.

The next intruder wound his arm back and swung wildly at Lily. Without room to maneuver, Lily was forced to block the blow with her right arm. Pain lanced through Lily's arm as she registered the force of the blow. _That asshole is using brass knuckles_ , Lily thought briefly before retaliating with a quick palm thrust right at his nose. The thug screamed in pain as his nose broke in a small torrent of blood, and Lily quickly pulled him in and swung him around to intercept the last thug who was trying to tackle her. A quick stomp on his face put him out of commission.

Lily turned back towards the first thug she had thrown just in time to see him thrust a large knife at her torso. Lily twisted her body to avoid the swing, but she was a split second too slow, and the knife opened a nasty gash on her side. The thug swung again, but this time Lily stepped into the swing and caught his knife arm with both arms. She twisted hard, and the thug's knife clattered out of his hand as she hyperextended his elbow. She brought her forearm back and slammed down right onto his elbow. The thug screamed in pain as his arm bent unnaturally backwards, and Lily finished him off with an elbow strike to the back of his head.

A few seconds later and the last remaining thug were similarly out of commission. She gingerly pressed her hand to her side, where her knife wound was still bleeding profusely. With the adrenaline wearing off, she was now acutely aware of the pain in both her side and right arm. She needed to flee. Her apartment was deep in ABB territory, and it would only be a matter of time before more thugs would show up.

She grabbed a roll of duct tape first and slapped a large piece right on top of her knife wound, staunching the blood flow. With that temporarily taken care of, she started gathering a few essentials. Most of her cape equipment was already in a duffel bag, which she then stuffed her laptop with all her gathered information into. A hospital would be messy. Taylor should be home from school soon. Hopefully, she wouldn't mind Lily breaking into her house.

.

* * *

.

"… and here I am," Lily finished. "Thanks for the change of clothes by the way, and the… you know."

"No problem, I can't exactly have you bleeding out all over my bed," Taylor responded with a small smile. "That's some pretty heavy stuff."

Lily chuckled a bit as she patted her hair dry with her towel. It felt good to shower and change into a fresh pair of bloodstain-free clothes. She was around the same height as Taylor, though not as skinny. She fit easily enough into a pair of Taylor's looser sweatpants and larger t-shirts. It _was_ heavy stuff that she was sharing, and Lily felt much lighter after unloading it all out on Taylor. Well, that and the pint of ice cream she was sharing with Taylor on her bed did wonders on making her feel better.

"Well, I think you should stay here until things settle down a bit," Taylor said. "We can try to recover your stuff later, but you're free to raid my closet in the meantime for clothes to wear."

"Are you sure?" Lily asked, as she bit her lower lip nervously. "Your dad won't mind?"

"Yeah, I'm sure he'll be fine with it," Taylor replied. "Besides, he's so busy with work these days that he's not even home that much. I do all the cooking around here anyways."

"Thanks. That's at least one thing I won't have to worry about right now."

The two teens sat silently for a few minutes as they finished the ice cream. Lily briefly pondered who in their right mind would name an ice cream flavor "chunky monkey." It was undeniably delicious though.

"I'm… I'm sorry about your mom, and your friend also." Taylor said quietly, breaking the silence.

Lily shrugged halfheartedly. "Jin? He was never really my friend. I was just using him."

Taylor frowned a little at her friend's cavalier attitude. "Yeah… but you liked him, didn't you?"

Lily sat quietly for a moment before responding. "I guess. He was actually a decent guy, you know? If he had grown up somewhere else besides this shithole, he could have been so much more than just another gangbanger."

"We can't help who we like, Lily," Taylor said softly.

"Huh? Oh, no no no. I just meant I liked him as a friend. He's not exactly my type," Lily explained quickly.

"Oh, OK. Sure, sorry." Taylor still looked a bit skeptical.

Lily sighed. "Taylor, I'm gay."

Taylor's eyes widened in shock as she stared at Lily. Lily stared back. "Oh! Uhh…" Taylor stammered out. "T-that's cool."

"That's cool?" Lily raised an eyebrow at her, resisting the urge to chuckle.

Taylor grinned weakly back as she tried to compose herself. "I mean, thank you for sharing that with me. Well, all of that I mean, not just the, you know..."

"Homosexuality?" Lily offered.

"Yes, that." Taylor replied quietly, her face flushed from embarrassment.

Taylor scooted closer to Lily and gingerly wrapped her arms around Lily. It was definitely an awkward hug, but Lily leaned into it eagerly. It had been too long since she had experienced a real hug. Lily sank into the embrace, and was surprised to find tears fall from her eyes.

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* * *

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 **Author's note: Whoo, we've just about reached ~400 favs/follow now. Thanks everyone for the reviews! They are always appreciated. To answer some of the reviews, I'll do my best to make sure that all the side characters aren't completely forgotten about. There will definitely be at least a little bit more of Arachne in the upcoming arc.**

 **P.S. - Happy voting day! (for those of you in the US that is)**


	32. Interlude - 4v (Vicky's Birthday Bash)

**Interlude – 4.v (Vicky's Birthday Bash)**

"Wake up, Amy!" Vicky yelled, plopping onto her sister's bed and directly on top of her slightly younger sister.

"Ugh, go away," Amy groaned out as she tried to shove her sister off of her.

"No way, get up get up get up get up! It's my birthday!"

Amy swung a pillow at her sister's face, but it bounced harmlessly off of Vicky's force field.

"Alright, you seem awake. I'm going to go hop in the shower. See you soon!" Vicky said as she floated off her sister.

"Wh-what? You couldn't have woken me up _after_ your hour-long shower?" Amy yelled back in frustration.

Vicky ignored her sister as she sped off towards their shared bathroom. She did take care not to bump into any of the doors or walls, though. She had put more than a few holes into the walls of their house before she learned to control her strength better. Even with her invulnerability, it was still scary when her mom yelled at her.

Vicky floated into her shower and sighed in relief as hot water cascaded over her body. She had a force field which she had tested pretty extensively, but she still didn't understand _how_ it all worked. It didn't prevent her from enjoying a nice hot shower, but it would protect her if she accidentally spilled boiling hot coffee on herself. Not that she was complaining. She knew she had lucked out with both the power lottery and the genetic lottery. And today was going to be just perfect.

Seventeen. Just one more year until Vicky became an adult and was free to do whatever she wanted. The problem was that what Vicky wanted clashed a lot with what her mom wanted for her. Vicky sighed as she floated out of the shower and began drying herself. _I'm too young to be having an existential crisis,_ she thought. Vicky loved her mom, and she loved being a part of New Wave. However, there was a lot there that she didn't agree with.

Her mom's strict refusal to let Vicky use her powers for anything other than strictly fighting crime, or to let her leverage her fame to earn money was top amongst her complaints. New Wave was about accountability, but it was also meant to show that Parahumans were ordinary people who lived ordinary lives too. Sure, New Wave collected donations to support their cause, but her mom barely did any crime fighting these days partly due to the time constraints of her high-pressure legal career.

Vicky didn't want to be ordinary though. She knew she was extraordinary. The thought of working an _ordinary_ job disgusted her a little. She felt the same way about her darling sister Amy. Amy was already totally brainwashed into thinking that getting paid for her healing was somehow immoral, which was completely ridiculous to Vicky. Doctors got paid, and nobody thought that they were somehow evil for accepting money. What was Amy going to do after she turned eighteen or graduated from college? Work some menial dead end job from nine to five just so she could afford to spend all her free time healing people for free? Vicky had tried to broach the subject a few times with Amy in the past, but the girl could be so stubborn. It was kind of an unspoken secret between them that Taylor did paid healing, and Vicky had hoped that Taylor's example would help Amy change her mind. Unfortunately, Amy had just doubled down on her stubbornness. It was one of her rules, and for Amy, her rules were ironclad.

Out of all her friends, Vicky had a hunch that Taylor could understand how she felt the best. Vicky just _knew_ that Nightingale was going to be a star. The combination of miracle healing and extraordinary singing ability was tailor-made for PR success. The younger girl wasn't exactly a conventional beauty, but she did well with what she had. She had long legs that she kept toned with copious amounts of exercising, and she took great care of her lustrous long curls. Her face was a bit plain, but that wouldn't matter unless Nightingale chose to unmask. If Vicky was honest with herself, she knew that she would probably like Taylor less if she _was_ a real head-turner. It was an ugly thought, and Vicky hated that she felt that way. She hated her insecurities, but she hated even more the idea of letting others know just how deep her insecurities ran. At least she could trust Amy enough not to reveal to anyone the occasional body-tweaking she did for her.

After finishing drying her hair, Vicky pulled a nondescript garment box out from under her bed. Vicky grinned widely as she opened the box and ran her hands over the luxurious material. It would be her first time wearing her birthday gift from Nightingale. She lifted the golden dress gingerly out of the box. It was one of Parian's unique bespoke garments and made almost completely out of Golden Orb Weaver silk. Unlike the formal gown that she had seen in Parian's shop a few months ago, this one was a smaller and more casual sun dress. Perfect for the upcoming summer season. Vicky didn't know how much Taylor had spent on it, but it must have cost her a small fortune. It was definitely more expensive than any of the gifts that Dean had given her.

Vicky quickly dropped her towel and slipped into her new dress, before turning her attention to her full-length mirror in her room. The dress was simply glorious. Vicky absolutely loved it. It was everything she aspired to be: beautiful, one-of-a-kind, _perfect_. After spending the next hour carefully styling her hair, applying her makeup, and fussing about with accessories, Vicky finally deemed herself ready to present herself to her admiring public. Not that anyone was going to show up anytime soon though. Maybe waking up so early on a weekend was unnecessary.

Vicky padded downstairs in search of coffee. As she neared the kitchen, she could hear her mom arguing over the phone in hushed tones. It sounded like trouble at work. Vicky entered the kitchen and cheered internally when she saw the fresh pot of coffee that her mom had made.

"Everything OK, Mom?" Vicky asked, as soon as Carol finished her call.

Carol sighed as she walked up to the kitchen counter and started pouring coffee into a thermos. "One of the junior associates bungled a deposition yesterday. The client is coming back in today. I'm going to need to head into the office and oversee another deposition."

"Today?" Vicky protested. "But…"

"I'm sorry Victoria, but it can't be helped. It's important."

Vicky hid her disappointment as best as she could, and plastered a well-practiced fake smile onto her face. "Of course Mom, I understand. Where's Dad?"

"He's still upstairs sleeping. Best let him sleep in for now." Carol pulled her wallet out and took out a couple of crisp, one hundred dollar bills, and handed them to Vicky. "Here, use this for the caterers if I'm not back by then."

With a quick kiss goodbye, her mom was gone. Vicky slumped down at the kitchen counter and began nursing her coffee. Her sister still hadn't made it out of her room, so she must have gone back to sleep. Who knew when her dad would wake up, or if he would even get out of bed today. Vicky whittled away the rest of the morning by playing on her phone and watching the morning cartoons on TV. So much for some quality family time before the guests arrived.

Contrary to popular opinion, she didn't actually have that many _real_ friends. Sure, she had an endless stream of hanger-ons and sycophants who wanted to be friends with Glory Girl, but even Vicky didn't want to spend her precious free time and attention on cape groupies. Veronica, Jenny, and Helen had been her friends since middle school, so they were cool. She had to invite several of the popular kids at school, if only so she wouldn't have to deal with any of the high school drama that would result from such a snub. The Wards were mostly good people, so Vicky felt good about inviting them too. Even inviting Dean hadn't been too tough of a decision. He was actually a decent guy, and despite their constant on again/off again status, they never really tried being just friends.

The ringing of the doorbell interrupted Vicky from her reverie. Vicky frowned. It was too early for guests to start arriving. She made her way to the front of her house and opened the door, revealing Taylor, who was dressed in a flared turquoise dress with dark tights and ballet flats. Vicky nodded approvingly at Taylor's outfit. She was dressing much better these days, especially since Vicky had 'helped' her out by periodically hiding a lot of her older hideous clothes in the coal chute in the Hebert house's basement. Taylor's new collection of dresses, skirts, and leggings that Vicky helped pick out suited her figure much better than the drab and baggy clothes that used to clutter her closet. Taylor hadn't thanked her yet for disposing her older clothes, but Vicky was magnanimous enough not to hold it against her.

"Hi Vicky, happy birthday!" Taylor greeted her.

"Hey Tay-Tay. What are you doing here so early?" Vicky asked.

Taylor scrunched her nose up in confusion. "Huh? I thought the invitation said the party started now?"

"Well yeah, but that means… never mind, come on in," Vicky said, beckoning Taylor in. "I'm glad you're here early."

"I still don't understand why I'm early, but here, I got you this. Happy birthday," Taylor said, handing over a small gift box.

"But you already got me this-"

"I said, happy birthday!" Taylor interrupted nervously.

Vicky rolled her eyes. "Nobody is here yet. Sheesh, you're a paranoid one. I'm not going to say no to another gift though, so thank you."

Taylor followed Vicky into the living room, and Vicky set the small package on the table reserved for gifts. She'd open it later, but it felt like a book to her. Taylor was a bit of a nerd.

"So, how's Lily doing?" Vicky asked after they plopped onto her couch.

"Better now, I think," Taylor replied. "She's still laying low, and only ever sneaking out of the house while in costume."

Vicky frowned. She was a little disappointed that Lily couldn't make it to the party, but it was understandable given the circumstances. "Well, what have you guys been doing then when I'm not around?"

"Uh, mostly just training. She's really whipping me into shape. I think I'm really improving with the close quarter combat stuff."

Vicky resisted the urge to giggle. Taylor _really_ needed to work on her phrasing. "Does she make you call her _sempai_ when she's teaching you?" Vicky asked.

"W-what? I'm pretty sure that's racist somehow!"

"How is _that_ racist!" Vicky sputtered indignantly. "I'm like the poster girl for tolerance!"

"How are _you_ the poster girl for tolerance?"

Vicky shrugged and shot Taylor her most roguish grin. "Oh you know, I just think I should be the poster girl for just about everything."

Taylor snorted in response. "You could definitely be the poster girl for narcissism."

"Oh yeah, I'd be great at that, like most other things in life!" Vicky smiled proudly.

The girls giggled, and chatted away while they waited for the rest of the guests to arrive. The caterers showed up soon after, and soon there were several trays of foods and beverages lined up in the kitchen for the guests. They also brought an enormous three tier cake that would serve as the centerpiece for the end of the party. Soon enough, the party was in full swing, and Vicky busied herself playing the role of the perfect host.

Vicky drifted through the house, observing and chatting up people as she went along. She found Dean hanging out with several of the popular kids from Acadia, as well as his Wards teammates: Carlos, Chris, Dennis, as well as the two new transplants from Boston, Weld and Hunch. Considering how much of an emphasis the Wards placed on secret identities, some people would have found it weird that they were all friends at school. They weren't even all in the same grade! Vicky understood though. Being a parahuman simply set you apart from everyone else. No matter how much they could try to fake it, they would never truly be like the rest of their classmates. It was a bond that was much stronger than a normal high school friendship.

Vicky also spotted Taylor nearby, who was chatting with Helen and Jenny. She was glad that Taylor got along with her group of friends, though she was a little concerned that she didn't really seem to be making friends with kids from her own year. Her cousins Eric and Crystal were here as well, of course. The table reserved for gifts was now almost overflowing with numerous wrapped packages of all sizes.

Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. Well, almost everyone. Amy had finally come downstairs, but she was just being a wallflower. Vicky found her hiding away in the kitchen. Amy was idly poking away at her cellphone while sipping away at a red plastic cup filled with punch. She had an expression on her face that made it clear that she did not want to be here.

Vicky frowned at the sight of her sister. She tried so hard to make everyone around her happy, but it was so hard to get through to Amy. She knew Amy was fairly introverted, but it seemed like she wasn't even trying to make an effort here. Amy had been a bit down lately, though. The only thing that seemed to have cheered Amy up lately was when Vicky and Dean broke up again. Sure, she tried to hide it, but Vicky could read her sister pretty easily. It pissed her off more than a little, but she pushed it down for her sister's sake.

"Hey sis!" Vicky greeted her sister with a large smile.

Amy smiled back at her sister. "Hi Victoria."

"So… having fun?" Vicky asked tentatively.

"Sure."

Vicky's smile faltered a bit. "Helen and Jenny and Taylor are hanging out in the living room. Why don't you go join them?"

Amy shrugged her shoulders. "Sure, I'll go find them in a little bit."

The two sisters stared at each other in silence for a moment.

"Is something bothering you, Amy?" Vicky asked. "Are you mad at me for waking you up this morning?"

"What? Of course not," Amy replied. "I'm fine Victoria. Go have fun. You don't need to worry about me."

Before Vicky could press her sister anymore, Dennis called out to Vicky from the living room, pulling her attention away from Amy. "Vicky, get in here!" he called out.

Vicky sighed and mouthed a 'be right back' to Amy, and quickly paced back into the living room where most of the guests were hanging out.

"Hey Dennis, what's up?"

"We're playing 'Marry, Boff, Kill'!" Dennis suggested cheerfully.

Vicky raised an eyebrow in amusement. Dennis, or Clockblocker as she knew, could be amusing at times, but she often found him equally annoying at other times.

"So birthday girl, you're up next," Dennis said, waggling his eyebrows lasciviously. "Who would you marry, boff, kill? Clockblocker, Gallant, and Nightingale?"

Taylor twitched slightly from where she was sitting. _That girl has to learn to be more subtle_ , Vicky thought to herself. Vicky was trying to give being friends with Dean a fair shot, and Dennis certainly wasn't making it easier at the moment. Vicky kept her expression completely unchanged as she resisted the urge to throttle the little twerp and punt him out the window. _Ha! Who says I don't have self-control?_ Vicky thought victoriously. "Well..." Vicky started, pretending to be deep in thought. "I'd kill Clockblocker because he's annoying and not as clever as he thinks he is."

"What? Clockblocker is like the coolest hero in Brockton Bay!" Dennis protested, but Vicky chose to ignore him.

"Hmm, I'd boff Gallant." _Been there, done that,_ Vicky thought. "And I'd marry Nightingale because we're totes soul mates, and we'd be _sooo_ hot together!" Vicky finished in an exaggerated Valley Girl accent.

The room dissolved into chuckles and a couple of catcalls, and Vicky noticed that a slight blush was now adorning Taylor's face. Honestly, that girl was just too much fun to tease. Vicky turned and walked back into the kitchen in search of her sister, but Amy had disappeared already. Vicky made a quick lap around the house, including the upstairs bedrooms where she had to kick a couple out of her guest bedroom before they could get any _further_. Still, Amy was nowhere to be found.

Vicky went into Amy's bedroom next, and slid the large window open. Amy's room overlooked the roof of the backyard patio, and from there it was pretty easy to climb up to the roof of the house. The two sisters had spent many nights stargazing and talking up there, back when they didn't have the burdens of their powers taking up most of their time.

Vicky floated up, and sure enough found her sister. Vicky frowned. Amy was smoking a cigarette.

"Amy? What the hell!" Vicky exclaimed sharply as she neared her sister.

Amy sighed, and rubbed the cigarette out on the roof. "Hey Vicky."

"You said you weren't going to smoke anymore!"

Amy shrugged helplessly. "Who cares? I'm not hurting anyone."

"You're hurting yourself!" Vicky protested. "And it's not like you can cure yourself if you get lung cancer or emphysema!"

"It's fine Vicky. I'm only sixteen," Amy replied sullenly. "They'll probably have cured that stuff by the time it even matters, or who knows, maybe the Endbringers will have finished us all off before then. Besides, there's plenty of other healers in the country that I could ask for help if I ever needed it."

"That's not the point! It's gross. And you lied to me!"

"Look, it helps me take the edge off, OK? I just… it just helps sometimes." Amy sighed. "It's not like I'm smoking a pack a day, or anything like that."

Vicky slumped a little, and felt her annoyance ebb out of her. "What's going on with you, Amy? I just… I just wish you'd let me help you. Is this about Dean? Because he's here?"

"What? No! Just… stop trying to _fix_ me!" Amy cried out. "You can't do anything about it. Stop trying to always fix everything. God, can't you just leave it alone?"

Vicky reared back from the force of her sister's words. She knew she could be overbearing and a bit of a busybody, but someone had to be. She loved her Mom, but Carol Dallon wasn't exactly a warm woman. Ever since their Dad had been diagnosed with clinical depression, he had barely been around, even when he was present. And Amy was constantly overworking herself at the hospitals. Victoria was the strong one. The one everyone could count on. The one trying to hold everything together. She had to be.

"Shit, I'm sorry Victoria. I didn't mean that. Can we just please not do this right now?" Amy pleaded with her sister. "It's your birthday. Go downstairs and enjoy it. I'll follow you down soon. Please, let's just talk about this later."

"Alright sis," Vicky acquiesced quietly. "You know I love you, right?"

"Of course," Amy sniffled a little. "I love you too, Victoria."

Vicky leaned forward and squeezed Amy into a tight hug. Then, she floated off the roof and down to the backyard, leaving her sister alone for the moment. Vicky paused at the doorway, and took a deep breath to compose herself. She forced a smile onto her face, and stepped through the threshold and into her home. _Everything is fine_ , she thought to herself. _I'm going to go in, eat cake, and steal a bottle of champagne from Mom's wine cooler. Everything is going to be perfect._

Vicky stepped back into the living room and promptly bumped right into Dennis, who spilled his cup of fruit punch right onto the front of Vicky's brand new and _very_ expensive dress.

Dennis's eyes widened in horror as he realized what he had done. He started slowly backing away from the shell-shocked birthday girl. His eyes darted side to side, seeking optimum escape routes. He briefly pondered whether revealing his secret identity and powers would be necessary to survive the upcoming encounter.

Vicky stared in shock at her dress, now stained red from the fruity beverage. Realization set in. She opened her mouth and unleashed a hellish scream. Whatever residual control she had over her aura completely snapped, and a wave of fear and terror rippled through all the guests. Some of the guests actually stumbled from the force of the emotions that were suddenly forced upon them, while others squeaked out in terror.

" **Vicky!** " Taylor's voice rang out sharply.

Vicky's mouth snapped shut, and she felt a shiver run through her body. It was always a little unsettling to her whenever she felt Taylor infuse her words with power. Hopefully, nobody else had noticed. At least she had her aura back under control now. She quickly scanned the room. The party guests were all staring at her in horror. Some of the kids looked like they were on the verge of tears. Others were scrambling away from her, as if she was _actually_ going to hurt them in some way.

Ignoring them as best she could, Vicky strode forward, grabbed Taylor by the wrist, and started dragging her along behind her. She pulled Taylor up the stairs and into her bedroom, and quickly locked the door. Vicky whirled to face Taylor as soon as they were alone.

"Can you fix it?" Vicky asked quietly.

Taylor nodded. "I think so." She pressed her hand against Vicky's dress and muttered a quick incantation. Vicky felt a brief flutter, and then watched the stain fade away, leaving the dress in pristine condition.

Vicky sighed in relief and wrapped Taylor up in a fierce hug. "Oh my god, what would I do without you?"

"I don't know, pay for dry cleaning?"

Vicky squeezed Taylor just a tad bit harder. "You're useful for a lot more than magic laundry powers. Thank you Taylor."

"No problem. It's just a dress," Taylor replied.

"It's not just a dress!" Vicky protested. "It's… everything. I just wanted one day where everything could just go perfectly." Vicky sighed and tightened her grip on the smaller girl. She sniffled a little, and she felt tears start to leak from the corner of her eyes.

"You're going to need to take the dress off," Taylor murmured as she gently tried to pry Vicky off of her. Considering Vicky's superhuman strength though, she was having absolutely no success. "We can't let everyone else know how you got it cleaned so quickly."

Vicky leaned back from the embrace and smirked at her friend. "Oh? Trying hard to get me out of my dress already I see."

"That's not what I meant!" Taylor quickly blurted out, her pale complexion quickly reddening.

Vicky started giggling, and soon Taylor joined her as the two girls laughed uncontrollably for the next several minutes.

"Thanks Tay-Tay. You really are the best," she said, once she was able to breathe again.

Vicky leaned back in and pressed her lips against Taylor's. She wasn't exactly sure what drove her to do _that_ , but it felt right somehow. The younger girl froze momentarily from the contact. After what felt like an eternity to Vicky, the other girl finally parted her lips and allowed Vicky to deepen the kiss.

.

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 **AN: I'm actually pretty surprised that we went ~125k words and this is the first time we see Vicky's POV. Well, stuff happened in this chapter. Wouldn't it have been funny if Vicky had second-triggered over her dress getting ruined? Feedback please!**

 **Standard disclaimer: Worm belongs to Wildbow, and Dungeons and Dragons belong to Wizards of the Coast/Hasbro. I own nothing.**


	33. Bonus Interlude - 4v2 (Vicky, Part 2)

**Bonus Interlude – 4. (Vicky's Birthday Bash, part 2)**

 _Vicky leaned back in and pressed her lips against Taylor's. She wasn't exactly sure what drove her to do that, but it felt right somehow. The younger girl froze momentarily from the contact. After what felt like an eternity to Vicky, the other girl finally parted her lips and allowed Vicky to deepen the kiss._

"Wow," Taylor commented, with a dazed expression on her face. "That was…"

"Amazing?" Vicky grinned. "I'll say."

"Why did you do that?"

Vicky shrugged. "Because I wanted to."

"But what does it mean?" Taylor pressed on. "I mean, are we like dating now or something?"

"I think we were practically dating already, Taylor," Vicky said with a small laugh. "You were just oblivious about it. Half the tabloids in town and PHO already think we're dating already anyways."

"Wha? But… I..." Taylor's mouth opened and closed, trying to find the appropriate words.

Vicky interrupted her stuttering by bringing her hands up to Taylor's face and cupping it softly. "Don't overthink it so much, Taylor. Let's just see where this goes, OK?" Vicky leaned forward and placed a chaste kiss upon Taylor's lips.

Vicky held her breath while she waited for Taylor to respond. She was used to getting what she wanted, but this was definitely uncharted territory for both of them. After an agonizing moment, Taylor swallowed heavily and gave a small nod.

A quiet knock on the door interrupted the girls before they could say anything more.

"Hello?" A feminine voice called out from the other side. "It's Crystal. Are you OK in there, Vicky?"

"Hey Crystal," Vicky replied. "I'm fine. I'm just changing into a different outfit now. I'll be down in a few minutes."

"Are you sure?" Crystal's voice, filled with concern, responded back. "Do you want me to come in?"

"No, that's alright! I have Taylor in here with me."

"Uh, is she OK in there?" Crystal asked.

"Hey!" Vicky protested indignantly. "I don't know what you're trying to imply, but she's simply helping me pick out a new outfit."

"OK, I'll see you guys downstairs then," Crystal replied, before walking away from Vicky's bedroom door.

Now alone again, the two girls stared at each other quietly for a moment.

"I should get changed," Vicky said, breaking the silence. She walked over towards her closet and slid out of her newly cleaned dress. Taylor quickly averted her eyes and turned around, her cheeks flushing a furious red.

"How do I look?" Vicky asked after changing into her new outfit, swishing her skirt a bit. She was now wearing a short pleated skirt and a white Nightingale t-shirt.

"When did you get one of those shirts?" Taylor asked. "I could have have gotten you one for free if you wanted one."

Vicky simply shrugged in response. "It's OK. I didn't mind paying for it with my own money. Besides, it's for charity right? Aren't you going to tell me that I look pretty?"

"Come on Vicky, you would look beautiful in a burlap sack. Of course you look pretty."

"Is that your way of saying you want to get me in the sack?" Vicky asked teasingly, waggling her eyebrows.

Taylor snorted in response. "Does your mind never leave the gutter?"

"Nope!" Victoria replied proudly. "I'll never rest until I drag you down there with me. Now come on, the party awaits."

The two girls headed towards the bedroom door, but Vicky stopped once they reached there. "Maybe we should keep this just to ourselves for now?" she suggested.

"Ah, yeah." Taylor nodded in agreement. "It would draw a lot of attention."

Vicky chuckled. "Attention I can deal with, but I'm more worried about you. A lot of people think I'm dating Nightingale already, so it would probably be bad for your secret identity if I'm publicly dating Taylor Hebert."

Taylor frowned in response. "That sounds tough to deal with. Relationships haven't been easy for you, have they?"

"Well, all part of the joys of being an unmasked cape," Vicky said, with just a touch of bitterness in her voice. "I've always had to be so careful when… never mind. But yeah, my folks and Crystal's folks were already married when they unmasked, so it was never something they had to worry about."

"I'm sorry," Taylor murmured softly.

Vicky cleared her throat and simply shrugged. "Anyways, give me some time before I tell Amy," she said. "She can keep a secret, but she gets all jealous when her big sis's attention is elsewhere. I mean, it was kind of cute at first, but now it's getting a little annoying. She's never really liked any of the guys I've dated before. Well, she might be crushing on Dean actually. Maybe that's why she never liked the two of us together. Would it be weird if we tried to set them up?"

"Um, yes it would be _very_ weird. Besides, maybe you're the one she actually has a crush on?" Taylor suggested.

Vicky burst out laughing. "Oh my god Taylor, and you said _my_ mind was in the gutter? She's my sister! You are too much. Save the incest for the PHO shipping boards. Now come on, let's go downstairs."

Vicky unlocked the door, and the two girls made their way downstairs. Dennis was sitting on the lower steps, waiting for Vicky. He jumped to his feet when he saw the girls approach.

"Hey Victoria," Dennis said nervously. "I'm really sorry about the dress."

 _Well, this is a prime opportunity to mess with him_ , Vicky thought to herself. She affixed the fiercest expression she could on her face, and glared at him. "You better be! That was a twenty thousand dollar dress. If I can't get the stain out, you're paying for a new one!"

Dennis blanched at the prospect, and mumbled something about asking Dean before scurrying away as fast as his legs could carry him.

"That was mean," Taylor chided gently. Judging by the amused expression she had on her face though, Vicky didn't think she cared too much.

"I'll tell him he's off the hook at school next week," Vicky murmured back. "Let him stew a bit in the meantime. He deserves at least a _little_ bit of retribution."

The two girls slowly walked in the living room together. Vicky frowned as she looked around the room. There were fewer people now at the party. Not a huge difference, but still noticeable to Vicky's discerning eyes. Vicky sighed. Her little fit was sure to make the tabloids. No doubt one of the sniveling crybabies that had left already would gladly sell the story to the Enquirer or post it on PHO.

The room quieted down a bit as Vicky entered, nervous eyes swiveling to face her. _Sheesh_ , Vicky thought. _Did they think I was going to bite them or take a swing at them with a baseball bat or something?_ Numerous biting retorts danced on the tip of her tongue, but she held them back. Instead, Vicky smiled and waved at everyone, and just like that, the tension seemed to ease out of the room.

Amy rushed up to meet Vicky. "Are you OK? Some people are saying you had a meltdown or something."

"What? No way!" Vicky deflected jokingly. "Who's being over-dramatic down here? I just had to change into something else after some klutz spilled punch on my dress."

"Really?" Amy asked, with a skeptical expression on her face. "Because I heard screaming all the way from outside."

"That must have been Taylor," Vicky replied with a cheeky smile. "You know what a drama queen she is."

Taylor rolled her eyes. "Sure, that sounds like me."

"But seriously," Vicky said, "where did everyone go?"

Her cousins, Crystal and Eric made her way over to the girls, and Crystal chose that moment to speak up. "Hate to break it to you, but you scared a fair amount of people away with that little outburst."

Vicky sighed. "Wimps. I hope that doesn't come back to cause me trouble later."

"Would you feel better if you punched Eric a few times?" Crystal suggested.

"Hey! Not cool!" Eric protested.

Vicky tapped her chin as she considered Crystal's offer. "Hmm… maybe?"

Eric grumbled something about mean girls, and stalked off to find his friends.

Vicky chuckled as she watched him leave. "I think some cake for everyone would be appropriate right about now."

After spending some time herding all the guests to the appropriate location, the large three tier cake was brought out. The lights were dimmed, and the candles were lit. Vicky smiled widely as the gathered guests began singing Happy Birthday to her. An average roomful of teenagers were unlikely to provide a pleasant harmony, but Vicky could have sworn she could hear the perfect pitch of Taylor's voice cut through the cacophony. Vicky basked in the glory of being the center of attention again, this time in a much more positive manner.

The day had started pretty rough, but it looked like it was turning out alright in the end. Maybe Vicky didn't need 'perfect' after all. Now she just needed to break into her mom's wine cooler.

 **.**

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 **.**

 **AN:** If you haven't been following the forums, this is the "bonus" interlude that people requested so to not skip over the rest of the party. We'll return to our regularly scheduled programming with the next update. Anyways, thank you everyone for the response to the last chapter! This is my first time writing this kind of stuff, so hopefully I can do it justice. I'm glad so many people are enjoying the story.

Standard disclaimer: Worm belongs to Wildbow, and Dungeons and Dragons belong to Wizards of the Coast/Hasbro. I own nothing.


	34. Harmony 5-1

**Harmony – 5.1**

April 25th, 2011

"Taylor, I'm beginning to think you've been corrupted," Vicky said to me, with an uncharacteristic serious tone.

I scowled at her. "What do you mean? And use our codenames."

"To start with, your recent foray into the world of underage drinking," Vicky answered back.

"With alcohol that you supplied!" I pointed out. It was just some champagne at her birthday party, but still. That one was totally her fault.

"Well, it was also your idea to ditch school this time," she replied.

"Well, yeah, but for good reason!" I protested. Dad and I still weren't exactly talking to each other beyond meaningless pleasantries, so I had no choice but to stalk him at his workplace. Sure that sounded weird saying it out loud, but I needed to get to the bottom of why the Merchants were pushing into that area.

The dockyard where the Dockworker's Union was based had always been a fairly low value area, and one that the gangs didn't really fight over. Shipping wasn't as big of a thing as it used to be just in general, but Brockton Bay's shipping industry had been particularly hard hit. With the boat graveyard further limiting the flow of traffic into the bay, the number of ships entering and exiting Brockton Bay had slowed to a trickle over the past decade. There simply weren't a lot of money or people in the area.

We were trying to be discreet, so we couldn't exactly go out in costume in the middle of the day. Vicky attracted plenty of attention in her civilian garb as well, so the two of us along with Lily were in disguise and using pseudonyms. Vicky had chosen Glinda and Elphie for herself and me, while Lily went with Yuki.

We needed to dress down to fit into this area, but I couldn't find my old clothes at first. Vicky had ran into my basement though, and somehow magically appeared with a lot of my old shabbier clothes that I thought I lost. The clothes were quite dirty, with what looked like coal dust on them, but Lily had said to leave it soiled. It would make for a more convincing disguise. So we were all wearing my old ratty hoodies. The one I was wearing even had knife holes in it. Vicky couldn't fit into any of my pants of course, since she actually had hips, so she wore one of her jeans that had rips and holes in them. Unlike my pants which were shabby due to wear and tear, her jeans came that way brand new and had cost two hundred dollars.

It was surprisingly uncomfortable being back in my old clothes, the stuff that I would wear at Winslow. It felt too much like stepping into the past and being the old Taylor again. Friendless, ugly, and worthless. I took a deep breath and exhaled hard, trying to expel those nasty thoughts simultaneously. I wasn't that person anymore. I had friends now. I was even dating now! That part was a surprise to me. Part of me had feared that I would end up as some kind of lonely old cat lady, with only Mrs. Fluffypaws to keep me company. Except she wasn't even my cat!

I had no idea why Vicky wanted to be with me. I mean, Vicky was famous, popular, and beautiful. I was just… me. Of course I found her attractive, but I never thought that she would actually want to be with me in _that_ way. It was a lot to try to wrap my mind around, but I was taking a page out of her book and just going with the flow.

"And you dragged two young, impressionable school girls down the path of truancy with you," Vicky added.

"Um, technically I'm not truant," Lily chimed in. "I graduated a year early, so I already have my high school diploma."

"Hush Yuki," Vicky said to her, "there's no need to defend the wicked Elphie right now." Vicky turned to face me. "And then there was that weird incest fantasy you told me about."

"That wasn't-, ugh, I was just joking alright!" I defended myself feebly. Maybe it was a bad idea to tell Vicky my suspicions about Amy. I mean, it's not like I was one hundred sure that Amy was in love with her own sister. Vicky been giving me plenty of grief about it ever since, and I was dreading Amy's reaction if she ever found out about what I said.

Vicky smirked at me. "Though I guess I _should_ be flattered that you think I'm so amazing and beautiful and wonderful that I could even charm my sister."

I rolled my eyes at her, but let her have the last word on that subject. Vicky had been a bit down lately, so it was nice to see her back to her old self. The details of her birthday party had unfortunately leaked out onto PHO. The tabloid headlines read: "Glory Girl terrorizes schoolchildren at birthday party!" From what she told me, her mom had chewed her out quite a bit for losing control of her aura in such a public fashion.

"So," Lily said, thankfully changing the subject, "I get that we're out dressed like hoodlums, but what exactly is the plan here? Just hope we stumble on someone who knows something and interrogate them?"

"Nah," Vicky said, "we just need to get around the vicinity of various shady looking people and then have Elphie use her mind reading magic to commit a gross invasion of privacy."

"Wait, you can read minds?" Lily asked me, with a panicked look on her face.

"I think so? It's either that or some kind of cold reading ability," I replied. "But don't worry. I would never use it on a friend. Or in a situation that wasn't important. I hold myself to a very high standard of responsibility with it." Inadvertently peeking into Amy's mind had taught me _that_ particular lesson. Lily still looked pretty scared though. I sighed and rubbed my forehead. I hated all the Simurgh comparisons that my power came with. "I've never used it on you. I promise."

Lily looked a bit mollified, though still nervous. We made our way deeper into the docks district, and towards the Dockyards where my dad worked. We were walking through some of the more questionable parts of town now. It was pretty bleak, as abandoned storefronts with busted windows and excessive graffiti on walls greeted as we walked through. Looking around us, it was hard to believe that we were only a relatively short drive away from the thriving downtown area with its gleaming skyscrapers and yuppie joggers.

I imagine Dad would be pretty upset if he found out I was ditching school for this, so it was good that we were in disguise. It felt weird being out on a mission without my Nightingale costume or most of gear. I wasn't completely unarmed though. I still had my pepper spray, as well as a brand new Taser. A real genuine one, and not just a cheap stun gun like what I had before. Apparently Taser was actually a brand. It was just one of those things where the brand had become synonymous with the product itself, like jacuzzi or velcro or zamboni. Quinn had given me a bit of an impromptu intellectual property lecture when I asked him to buy me several Tasers, so that Dad and I would always have one around.

Vicky nudged me gently, shaking me out of my musings, and pointed towards a shady looking vagrant who was huddled over at a bus stop. "What about that guy," she whispered quietly to me.

I sighed, and activated my thought detection spell. This whole thing was a bit uncomfortable for me, but I guess we really didn't have anything better planned. I turned my focus towards the vagrant. _Shit shit shit. I'm outta crank. Need to score a fix. Shit shit shit. But I got nothing…_

I grimaced and turned away from him. "Not him," I murmured back to my companions. "He doesn't know anything." Just another despondent soul sucked dry by the ennui of- Ouch! I rubbed my forehead where Vicky had just flicked me. "What was that for?"

Vicky stared straight into my eyes. "You had that look on your face like you were monologuing internally about something depressing."

"I was not!"

"Uh, why are we starting with trying to find Merchants?" Lily interrupted. "You know some of the Dockworkers right? Wouldn't a better starting point be just going to the Docks and chatting with a few of them?"

"B-but… our disguises!" Vicky protested. "And our code names!"

I winced. Did we waste all that time coming up with all of that stuff, when a much simpler approach was available? Sure I didn't want Dad to know what I was up to, but I could probably get in and chat with some of the other guys there. At least Vicky had fun during the planning stages. "I guess that's why you're the veteran crime fighter, Lily."

Lily laughed sheepishly. "I don't think being a veteran had anything to do with that."

With a new plan in motion, we eventually we made our way to the actual Docks where my Dad's office was, with Vicky sulking all the way. I patted her on the back as we approached. "There, there. Don't worry Vicky, the disguises _were_ a good idea." They really weren't.

Vicky let out a sigh as her shoulders slumped a little. "That's OK. You don't need to patronize me, Tay-Tay. I'm a big girl."

The Dockyard was surrounded by fences with barbed wire, with a gated area and security shack the only way in. Other than flying of course. A lot of conventional security measures were pretty meaningless when dealing with capes. A number of brightly colored shipping containers were visible through the fences, but there were too few of them for a port of this size.

"Huh, that's new." I pointed towards the small guard station at the entrance. There were four burly looking men standing around, looking suitably menacing. "Usually it's just one guard, Frank, during the day," I explained.

"Upgraded security?" Lily asked. "But where did the money come from?"

"Let's go ask him!" Vicky suggested.

Well that was blunt, but the straightforward approach definitely suited Vicky. "Alright," I agreed, "but let me do the talking."

We approached the front gate, but were immediately stopped by a large man with a shaved head. I frowned at the sight of his haircut. He looked too young to be naturally bald, but I didn't want to make any assumptions. I mean, it's not like every bald guy in town was a Nazi. Maybe he had alopecia, or just had early hair loss issues.

"Beat it, kids. This is private property," he drawled at us. _Fuck, I'm not getting paid enough for this shit. It's boring as hell._

"Uhh, are you new here?" I asked.

"What part of beat it did you not understand?" _Goddam hood rats. Always up to no good. Although the blonde one is kind of hot… she looks familiar..._

"Relax! My dad works here," I quickly said, hoping to interrupt that particular train of thought. I had to direct the flow of conversation adeptly in order to read his surface thoughts. "Where's Frank? He's usually here."

The security guard, Jason according to his nametag, visibly relaxed. "The old guy? Reassigned or fired. I don't know. He wasn't cutting it anymore." _Not like the rest of us could do shit if any capes actually did show up._

"Well I'm glad to see they're finally taking security seriously around here," I said, sending a quick glance at the rest of the security guards. "There's a lot more security now compared to before. Good thing they found the room in the budget, huh?"

"Yeah, I guess," Jason the security guard replied slowly. _What's with this kid. Not that I'm complaining about the new job. If that Medhall contract hadn't come through, I'd probably be working for the fucking E88 now._ "Who's your dad? Do you want to see him or what? I'd have to call you in."

Shit. What to do. I flashed him my winningest smile. "Umm, maybe not. I'm actually ditching school right now actually. I was just in the area, but I don't him to find out."

The security guard sighed. _Is she really trying to hit on me? I ain't no pedo._ "Look kid, you can't hang around here. If you're not going in, then you need to get lost."

I nodded quickly and scurried back to where Vicky and Lily were waiting for me.

"We're not going in?" Lily asked.

"With the new security guard, I'd have to call my dad to get in… which I'd rather not do right now," I replied sheepishly. Ditching school and skulking around his workplace looking for clues… it was pretty much the exact opposite of what he wanted from me right now. "I did get one thing from him though. He thought about some contract with Medhall when I asked him about the new security budget."

"Medhall?" Vicky tapped her chin thoughtfully. "That's the second time they've shown up this month in something we've dealt with."

Before we could figure out what to do next, the sound of sirens filled the air. It had to be at least several police cars, though I couldn't see anything from where we were. Cop cars driving around wasn't exactly an uncommon occurrence for this neighborhood.

"That sounds like trouble. Should we check it out?" Lily suggested.

"Now? While you guys are out of costume?" Vicky asked. "I mean, I can go check it out. It's probably nothing."

"We'll come too," I said. "Just in case you need backup."


	35. Harmony 5-2

**Harmony – 5.2**

April 25th, 2011

 _Before we could figure out what to do next, the sound of sirens filled the air. It had to be at least several police cars, though I couldn't see anything from where we were. Cop cars driving around wasn't exactly an uncommon occurrence for this neighborhood._

 _"_ _That sounds like trouble. Should we check it out?" Lily suggested._

 _"_ _Now? While you guys are out of costume?" Vicky asked. "I mean, I can go check it out. It's probably nothing."_

 _"_ _We'll come too," I said. "Just in case you need backup."_

Vicky flew straight up into the air to get her bearings, and then promptly flew straight down and landed in front of Lily and me again.

"Uhh, the cop cars are heading that way," Vicky said, pointing south, "but I think you're going to want to go home and get changed into your regular outfit."

"Why? What's going on?" I asked.

"The Rig is on fire," she stated in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Wait, what?" The Protectorate Headquarters, or 'the Rig' as it was locally known, was one of the most impenetrable landmarks in Brockton Bay. It had been converted from an old oil rig, and was completely inaccessible by land from its location in the middle of the bay when the hard-light bridge was off. "It's in the ocean. How can it be on fire?"

"I don't know? There's a lot of oil there?" Vicky suggested.

"It's not a functioning oil rig anymore!" I protested. "And it was a rhetorical question! Is it under attack? Why would anyone attack it?"

"Protectorate Headquarters is typically where they keep cape prisoners," Lily muttered, with a scowl on her face. "Brockton Bay is weird in that the PRT Headquarters is a separate building, but I'm betting that the Rig is where they're keeping the ABB capes we caught the other night."

"Still…" Vicky hesitated. "I don't think I ever remember hearing about the Rig being attacked. This is weird. Lily and I can go see what's going on. You should go. If there's any need for healing, they'll probably call you and Amy soon."

I sighed as I nodded in acquiescence. I started heading back home, leaving the two of them to go investigate further. The commute wasn't too far, and I was able to hop onto a nearby bus without much of a delay. Vicky's hunch proved to be correct, as my PRT phone buzzed before the bus even reached my stop. The message was short and not very informative.

 _PRT: Healing requested at PRT HQ downtown, ASAP. Respond immediately to confirm receipt. Transportation available if necessary._

I typed out a quick reply with my ETA. The PRT's idea of discreet transportation was having unmarked black vans waiting at certain locations that would wait for me to climb into. It was a little creepy, since my parents always taught me not to enter a stranger's van, but it was convenient before I learned how to fly. Now though, I wanted to stretch my 'wings' a little, metaphorically of course, so I declined the transportation offer.

I hopped off the bus at my stop and jogged quickly into a small alley. I should be close enough to my home for this to work. Glancing around to make sure I was alone, I muttered a quick incantation, and a shimmering blue portal opened in front of me. I stepped through it and landed right in the middle of my bedroom. I grinned widely. Flying was awesome, but creating these teleporting portals was freaking cool as well. The range was a bit limited, but I could definitely imagine a variety of uses for it. I quickly squeezed into my costume, and was off to the PRT headquarters.

Amy was already waiting in the lobby by the time I arrived. She was tapping her feet impatiently, and judging by the scowl on her face, was not in a good mood. I forced a smile towards Amy, and slowly approached her. Vicky still hadn't told her about our... new status, and I was definitely not looking forward to Amy's reaction when she finally did. That was a problem for future-me though, so I did my best to push it out of my mind.

"Hey Panacea," I greeted her. "Do you know what's going on?"

She nodded curtly in response. "Not too much more than you do. There was an attack on the Rig, and they're moving their most injured here to the PRT HQ instead of the hospital. It's more secure here."

"Hm, I wonder how much money the two of us are saving the PRT when it comes to medical fees," I joked with her.

Amy merely shrugged in response. "PRT employees have good health insurance anyways. Though I guess we are saving them quite a bit when it comes to disability payouts and costs related to employee turnover."

"Oh…" I didn't really know how to follow up with that. My bumbling attempts at befriending Vicky's slightly younger sister was still a work-in-progress. Wait, was Amy even younger? Vicky was a lot taller and bigger, so I always assumed so, but they _were_ in the same grade.

Luckily I didn't have to stand around awkwardly for too long, as a PRT officer soon came out to lead us down into the medical wing. I vaguely remembered her as Karen Jones, one of the officers I had met a few months back. She led us into the medical wing, where the first batch of injured were just arriving at the triage center that was set up there.

Triage was a bit different when you had two miracle healers to work with. There weren't any 'black tags' to signify patients who were still alive but had fatal injuries. As long as the patient was still alive, they could still be stabilized. Conversation was put on the backburner as Panacea and I got to work. They were only shipping the most critically wounded to the PRT building, and there was already nearly as many patients as we could handle. Soon, we were swamped with patients. We weren't bothering with healing everyone to full health; the continual influx of wounded meant that we could only stabilize each patient and move on. Most of the PRT officers and employees were suffering from burns, shrapnel, or even bullet and knife wounds. It looked like they were coming out of a warzone.

The door to the wing we were in crashed open with a loud bang, pulling my attention away from the PRT officer I was currently healing. One of the Protectorate heroes, Assault, had just barged in. His sleek metallic costume was covered in a distressing amount of blood. He made for such a distinct image that I didn't immediately notice the gurney that had followed him in. Another Protectorate hero, Battery, lay unmoving on the gurney with bandages stained red covering several parts of her body. Most worryingly however, was the stump on her left shoulder where an arm used to be.

Panacea rushed over and immediately began tending to the injured heroine. Assault hovered frantically above her for a few moments before Panacea snapped at him to back off a bit. Huh, there were rumors online that Assault and Battery were an item, even though they would never confirm due to the secrecy surrounding secret identities. Still, it seemed pretty obvious due to the way the duo had named themselves with that cheesy theme. I finished healing the PRT officer I was assigned and made my way over to the three of them.

"Is she going to be OK?" I asked.

"Yes, she'll be fine," Panacea replied. Assault breathed out in relief as the tension visibly lifted off his body. "She's stable. I don't have time to regrow the arm right now, but I'll take care of it before I leave today."

It still amazed me that Panacea could grow entire limbs on people from seemingly nothing. None of my healing spells could do that right now, but maybe one day.

"That's great," Assault said with a large smile. "Thank you girls. If it wasn't for you, Panacea, I'd have to get Armsy to build her a robot arm or something. I'm not sure the world is ready for Cyborg-Battery yet."

I laughed half-heartedly at the cheesy hero's joke. I didn't really want to encourage him, but he looked like he could use a bit of support right now. The Rig had always been thought of as the most fortified and secured building in Brockton Bay, and I had a feeling that our local heroes weren't going to take this attack lying down.

.

* * *

.

April 26th, 2011

"Huh, I always imagined these secret cape meetings happening in some kind of sleazy bar or something," I commented.

Lily chuckled. "Maybe the villains meet at someplace like this, but we're _heroes_. I think we can do better than that."

The recent attack on the Rig had predictably caused quite a bit of pandemonium, especially since the ABB capes we had just caught had escaped during the attack. Lily in particular was still stewing over the latest Protectorate fumble. Even Circus, who had been held there, had taken advantage of the chaos and escaped Protectorate custody as well. I knew the Protectorate had a bit of a reputation with their inability to keep villains contained outside of the Birdcage, but this was just ridiculous.

The only thing that let us know we weren't firmly back to square one was that the Protectorate were finally forced to call a truce meeting with all the independent heroes in town in order to seek assistance.

"But why the museum?" I asked. Sure, it was classier than meeting at Fugly Bob's or some bar, but it seemed like an odd choice.

"Collateral, maybe?" Lily suggested. "There's lots of valuable stuff here. Maybe it puts everyone more at ease if they think there's an additional incentive to not start a fight here."

I nodded absentmindedly as we stepped through the entrance of the museum. It was just a short while since the last time I was here for the fundraiser, but the mood and atmosphere was far different this time. Gone were the red velvet carpets and fancy furniture. Most of the lights were turned low, and there were only a few tables clumped together in the center of the hall.

"You ever been to one of these when you were a Ward?" I asked.

"Nope," Lily responded. "New York has like over a hundred Protectorate heroes and Wards. Manpower was never a problem there."

"Yet apparently Brockton Bay was never deserving of cape reinforcements from other cities," I muttered, with just a _tiny_ bit of bitterness in my voice.

Lily chuckled as we approached the set of tables where heroes were already starting to gather. "Hey, for what it's worth, _I_ actually did apply to transfer here. But it's not really a surprise that most people would rather live and work in New York City than here – heroes included. No offense."

We were a bit early, but some other capes had already arrived before us. Glory Girl was here already, representing New Wave along with Brandish and Lady Photon. Vicky waved at us as she saw us enter.

"Over here!" she called out to us, beckoning us to join her at her table. Amy wasn't here, so I assumed she was either volunteering again at the hospitals, or maybe she was hanging out with the rest of New Wave that weren't here.

Lily and I made our way over and joined them, exchanging quick greetings with the elder New Wave heroines. I scanned the room as we sat down, examining all the capes that were already here. Armsmaster and Miss Militia were here of course, standing at the front of the room representing the Protectorate. So were two members of the Wards, Weld and Aegis. I couldn't see any other official heroes here, but it was safe to assume that they were nearby in case they were needed.

Numerous independent capes were scattered amongst the tables. I didn't recognize all of them, but I had a good idea who most were. Purity was sitting at a table the farthest away from the one we were sitting at, and Brandish was occasionally sending glares over at her direction. At her table was another cape that I didn't recognize, a man with comically large muscles that looked like he stepped right out of the pages of a Silver Age comic book. His bulging muscles were clearly defined through his skintight top. Seriously, it looked like his shirt was several sizes too small. How did he even fit into that thing?

"Who's that over there with Purity?" I asked.

"Why, you see something you like?" Vicky asked, with a hint of danger in her voice as she narrowed her eyes at me. Shit. Had I been staring?

"W-what? No!" I sputtered out. "Just wondering who Captain Steroids is over there. Never seen him before."

Vicky stared at me for a second before nodding in satisfaction. "That's Browbeat. A new independent hero. Some kind of low tier Brute I think. He could use some better company though," she said.

"Who, Purity? She's been really trying to be a hero though, hasn't she?" I asked.

Vicky sniffed disdainfully. "I'm still not buying that whole thing just because she's hired a publicist. You don't hear any stories about her doing anything in Empire territory. Just messing with the ABB and the Merchants. What's the real difference there with what she's been doing before?"

Other independent capes started trickling in while we waited. Parian would be skipping, as she usually did with this kind of stuff. I felt a bit sorry for Sabah. Brockton Bay really wasn't the place to be for a pacifist cape to live, but it wasn't like she could just abandon her family here and move to more peaceful pastures. A few minutes later, another heroine dressed in a rather garish costume walked in, which Vicky alerted me to by tugging my arm excitedly.

"Look who's here! It's Glimmer!" she whispered to me.

"Ugh," I groaned out. "Don't tell me you're a fan of hers?"

"Why not? She's awesome!" Vicky insisted.

"She wears a leotard! With a boob window!" I protested. I didn't have anything against the heroine, but her costume really was an affront to my sensibilities. It consisted of a tight purple leotard with a chest cut-out that showed off her ample bosom, and thigh high boots in a matching purple. It wasn't hard to see what her 'fans' liked about her.

"Wow, way to judge a fellow heroine based on her attire," Vicky said, shaking her head in mock disappointment. "That's just like, the patriarchy trying to get you to turn against your own fellow sisters to get you to like, oppress yourself."

"What the hell are you talking about? It's just poor taste," I replied.

Vicky merely shrugged. "She's supposed to be a Brute, right? So it's not like she needs body armor, though I guess the boob window is a bit gratuitous. My costume isn't exactly super practical either though."

I let out a huff. "Let's just agree to disagree on this one."

"What do you think, Mistblade?" Vicky asked, pulling Lily into our little discussion. "Is Glimmer cool or not?"

Lily hesitated for a moment as her eyes darted between me and Vicky before answering. "I don't have a problem with the way she dresses."

I narrowed my eyes at her. Lily grinned sheepishly back at me for a moment, before her mouth turned downwards into a frown.

"Uh oh," Lily said quietly to me. "Nightingale, I think you should prepare yourself. Someone you don't like very much is here."

I swiveled my head to see what Lily was looking at, and immediately gritted my teeth. _You've got to be kidding me._ Shadow fucking Stalker was here. I clenched my fists tight as I tried to clamp down on my anger. I wanted to send a laser blast right at her stupid face, but I had a feeling the other heroes here wouldn't look upon that too kindly.

She made her way over to a table not too far from us, and plopped down heavily on one of the chairs. Her costume looked a little bit different from her Wards costume, but it kept the general motif with a dark trench coat, menacing full face mask, and a pair of deadly looking hand crossbows strapped to her sides. I could also see a couple of other very lethal weapons, such as a pair of very large knives strapped to her legs.

"Are you lost?" Vicky asked sarcastically. "This summit is for the _heroes_ of Brockton Bay."

Shadow Stalker sneered at us in response. "Then what are you doing here? Don't you have some Instagram followers that you need to pander to right about now?"

"Don't _you_ have some innocent schoolgirls to assault right about now?" I scoffed back at her.

"What? You're giving me shit too?" Shadow Stalker asked. "I'm more of a hero than you'll ever be, _Princess_. I'm actually out there cleaning up the streets while you're attending fancy parties and playing popstar _,"_ she finished saying, in the same mocking tone that she used to insult me with at Winslow.

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. She was a fucking fugitive right now, and she was still acting like she thought she was better than me. Not just _me_ me, but Nightingale me. I opened my mouth to snap a response off, but was quickly interrupted.

"Ladies!" Brandish barked out at us. "Not the place nor time for this."

Vicky grumbled, but swiveled her chair a bit so that her back was facing Shadow Stalker. I swallowed the bitter taste in my mouth as I turned my head away from Sophia as well. Lily reached over and squeezed my shoulder, pulling my attention away from Sophia.

"Priorities," Lily whispered to us. "Let's take down the ABB first, and then deal with little miss psycho over there afterwards."

I wanted to complain at the unfairness of it all, but deep down I knew she was right. The ABB were the immediate threat. The Wards that were here, Aegis and Weld, had made their way over while we were bickering.

"Shadow Stalker," Aegis quietly greeted her. "Did you come to turn yourself in?"

Shadow Stalker snorted in response. "I'm going to have to give that a pass. Caught your guy's last showdown at the bank though. Awesome job trashing the place and letting those Undersider losers escape."

I could see Aegis visibly tense at her sardonic words, but Weld simply lay a calming hand on his shoulder.

"Shadow Stalker, it would be best for you to really consider coming in," Weld said calmly, ignoring Sophia's hostility. Sheesh, nothing ever fazed the guy, not even the weirdos at school that stalked him. "It's not too late to come back from all this, but what you're doing right now is unacceptable. One of the Empire suspects you took down last week almost bled out before EMTs were able to stabilize him."

"Boohoo," Shadow Stalker deadpanned. "However will I sleep at night?"

The two Wards left her alone after that, and walked over to Purity's table where they conversed quietly with Browbeat. I couldn't make out what they were saying from where we were sitting, but I doubt it was as interesting as what I just witnessed.

"What do you think that's about?" Mistblade asked us in a quiet whisper.

"I heard from… one of the Wards," Vicky whispered back, "that Browbeat was going to join the Wards a few weeks ago, but he backed out after the news story on Shadow Stalker."

Armsmaster cleared his throat loudly, causing a hush to fall over everyone in attendance. It felt like everyone was mostly paying attention to the Wards drama now, and I was a bit disappointed to see it end like that. "Why don't we get started?" Armsmaster suggested, motioning for the Wards to return to his side.

"Thank you everyone for being here. As you all know, the recent actions by the ABB have escalated to an unacceptable level, and they must be stopped. To that end, we are temporarily enlisting volunteers from the independent cape community who will serve as additional manpower to combat the ABB threat."

Most of the capes in the room nodded along. I imagine nobody would be here if they weren't already planning on helping out with the current ABB crisis.

Brandish took the opportunity to speak up. "Why now? Director Piggot has generally refused to share information and work with the independent capes in Brockton Bay."

Armsmaster paused for a moment before responding. "This will be public knowledge tomorrow, but I suppose there's no harm in sharing it now. Director Piggot has just stepped down due to her persistent health issues as Director of the PRT ENE branch. The incoming interim Director wants the ABB situation taken care of immediately, and has authorized this operation."

A murmur rippled through the crowd of gathered heroes at his revelation. I had never met Director Piggot before, so all I had to go on was that she was Shadow Stalker's boss. Vicky didn't particularly like her, but I suspected that she was a little bit biased due to Director Piggot banning the Wards from working with her after all the excessive property damage.

"How were the ABB able to break into the Rig?" another cape, one that I didn't recognize, yelled out.

"We believe it was the ABB's newest parahuman and Tinker, Bakuda, who was able to build certain… devices that were able to bypass the Rig's defenses," Armsmaster answered. "We will be providing dossiers with our current known intelligence on the ABB's capes, as well as their operations, but suffice it to say, neutralizing Bakuda is the number one priority right now."

There were more murmurs as the gathered crowd digested that information. Bakuda was relatively new to Brockton Bay, and no doubt had managed to gone underestimated so far. I had witnessed firsthand what her bombs were capable of though. She was dangerous, especially since she didn't even have to be present for her work to do its damage.

Armsmaster continued with the briefing, giving details on how the volunteers would be used, intelligence on the ABB, and answering the occasional questions from the gathered heroes. The ABB were currently laying low, and were refusing to commit its capes to any battles with the Protectorate. The Protectorate on the other hand, didn't have the manpower to patrol the entire city and fight the ABB on their turf at the same time. The rather inelegant solution currently being proposed was to have all the independent heroes coordinate with the Protectorate to patrol and attack the ABB's businesses and different revenue streams in their own territory. From the ground level up.

At one point, the two Wards in attendance began passing out PRT-issued smartphones to the independents that weren't already registered as PRT affiliates. Vicky perked up at the prospect of getting her own PRT phone.

"This is awesome!" Vicky whispered to me. "I'll finally have my own PRT phone. You know what that means, right? I'll get reception in school!"

I snorted in response. "Why? So you can get another phone confiscated?"

Vicky glared at me and pinched me in my sides, causing me to emit a squeaky yelp. Vicky was constantly borrowing Amy's PRT phone to use while we were at Arcadia, and unfortunately had gotten it confiscated by a teacher last week when she was using it in class. Amy had yelled at the both of us for that after she had gotten her phone back. I still didn't see why I'd been included in the yelling. It wasn't my fault that Vicky was caught sending me gifs of cute cats in class.

"That wasn't my fault!" she protested indignantly.

"How was it not your fault?" I asked back.

Vicky pouted at me. "Well of course it was, but you're still supposed to take my side!"

Brandish cleared her throat and shot the both of us a soul-chilling glare. I immediately hushed and sat up straighter. I knew that Carol Dallon was a lawyer, but I couldn't help but think that she would make a very effective school teacher. Or nun.

The meeting wrapped up soon after, but I hung around with Vicky and Lily while giving everyone else a chance to exit first. I did not want to leave at the same time as Shadow Stalker, especially since we were forced to play nice for now.

That night, after I got home, my PRT phone buzzed with my assignment. I was already in bed, but I eagerly got up to check my phone.

 ** _Operation Stalwart Beaver_**

 _Nightingale – Brockton Bay General Hospital; medical standby_

Ugh. Just great. More hospital duty. And who the hell came up with that operation name?

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 **Author's Note:** Happy holidays everyone! It's been a while since my last update. Didn't do much writing over the holidays, but I'm hoping to get the next few chapters out in a more timely fashion. Thank you everyone for all the favs and follows! It seems like there's been an explosion of new readers since my last update, which I'm grateful for.

On a different note, I forgot to add it in last chapter, but yeah, her new spell from her last level up is Dimension Door. I know there's ambiguity over how the spell actually works, but I like the imagery of the portal, like how it's illustrated in some of the DnD literature.

Standard disclaimer: Worm belongs to Wildbow, and Dungeons and Dragons belong to Wizards of the Coast/Hasbro. I own nothing.

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 **TAYLOR'S CURRENT ABILITIES**

 **Cantrips (unlimited castings)**

· **Mage Hand** – creates a spectral hand that allows Taylor to manipulate objects within 30 feet of her, or allow her to pick up an item up to 10 pounds in weight.

· **Minor Illusion** – allows Taylor to create an illusory sound or image. Sounds can be any voice or sound that Taylor can imagine, and the volume can range from a whisper to a scream. Visual illusions must be no larger than a 5 foot cube, and can't create smell, light, sound, or other sensory effects.

· **Prestidigitation** – a collection of minor magical tricks, such as creating a minor sensory affect, cleaning or soiling a small object, lighting or snuffing out a small fire, creating various small illusions, and other small effects.

· **Eldritch Blast** – fires beams of intense energy at a target. The spell creates more beams at higher levels.

 **Level 1 Spells**

· **Thunderwave** – generates a thunderous blast of force up to fifteen feet out in front of Taylor, hurting and knocking back everything in her path. Generates a thunderous boom audible up to 300 feet away.

· **Sleep** – causes people or creatures in an area up to 120 feet away from Taylor to fall asleep. Can be resisted by those of strong fortitude and constitution.

· **Cure Wounds** – a person or creature that Taylor touches rapidly regenerates towards a healthy state.

· **Speak with Animals** – Taylor temporarily gains the ability to communicate with animals.

 **Level 2 Spells**

· **Invisibility** – Taylor or a person that Taylor touches becomes invisible for up to an hour. The effect ends when an offensive action is taken. Requires concentration.

· **Lesser Restoration** – a person that Taylor touches is cured of one disease or ailment.

· **Detect Thoughts** – lets Taylor read the surface thoughts of people around her? Or is it just a form of super-effective cold reading? Taylor isn't sure. Requires concentration.

 **Level 3 Spells**

· **Major Image** – allows Taylor to create an incredibly realistic illusion no larger than a 20 foot cube. These illusions can move and seem completely real, and even sounds and smells real. These illusions can even generate heat or chill, but not enough to cause bodily harm. Physical interaction with the illusion reveals it to be just an illusion though. Requires concentration.

· **Fly** – Taylor or a person Taylor touches gains the ability to fly for a short duration. Requires concentration.

 **Level 4 Spells**

· **Polymorph** – allows Taylor to shapechange another creature or herself into a new animal form. Unwilling creatures can resist the change if their mental fortitude is strong enough.

· **Dimension Door** – creates a dimensional portal that allows Taylor and up to one other willing person to instantaneously teleport to a destination within five hundred feet of her current location.

 **Other Abilities**

· **Song of Rest** – Taylor can imbue her voice with her power, and people who are resting while listening to her sing regain health more quickly than normal.

· **Countercharm** – Taylor can use musical notes or words of power to disrupt mind-influencing effects.


	36. Harmony 5-3

**Harmony – 5.3**

April 27th, 2011

"I don't know how I let you talk me into this," Sabah muttered to me.

"Hey, it could be fun?" I suggested halfheartedly.

Sabah shook her head and muttered something in her native tongue underneath her breath. Internally, I couldn't help but share her sentiment. A kickboxing gym was not my idea of a fun day off.

With how hectic everything had been, I hadn't been able to spend much time with Madison lately. Heh, now that was a surprise to me, that I'd have enough friends that juggling my social life would be an issue. So I was quite surprised when Madison confessed to me that she had taken up kickboxing, and invited me to attend one of her gym's free trial days for prospective new members for the women's classes.

"Besides, you can learn how to beat people up here," I joked.

Sabah sniffed imperiously at me. "I have a couple of very large friends to do that sort of thing for me," she said, no doubt referring to her giant gorilla bodyguard dolls.

The gym was clean and well-lit, with bright fluorescent lighting and spotless polished floors. So definitely not something grungy like out of a Rocky movie that I was half-expecting. On one side of the large open gym, there were two different boxing rings, both currently occupied by a pair of sparring boxers. The other side of the gym was dominated by rows of hanging heavy-punching bags. In addition, there were also free weights, speed bags, and other fitness equipment scattered at one end of the gym.

It was a nice gym, but it had the off-putting smell of sweat that made the whole experience just a bit uncomfortable for me. More importantly, I had no idea what the hell Madison was doing here. She was a tiny fifteen year old girl! What was she doing engaging in such a brutish and violent sport? The irony of that thought was immediately apparent to me. I've lost track of how many people I've blasted with my energy beams now, and those were powerful enough to break bones.

There was already a decent crowd of girls at the gym, most of which were hitting the heavy-bags. I spotted Madison almost as soon as we entered. The petite brunette waved happily at us, and I introduced Sabah to her. Madison looked oddly in her element in her workout clothes, and was bouncing happily from foot to foot.

Madison grinned at me. "I'm glad you could make it, Taylor! You too, Sabah."

"Of course, happy to be here," I said, not entirely genuinely. "So… how long has this been going on?"

"Just for a few months now," Madison said. "I started shortly after we got into that brawl at the mall. A girl's gotta learn how to defend herself, ya know?"

Madison was still grinning at me, though now her smile had taken an almost feral quality. "Uhh, sure, this town's pretty dangerous," I said. "I carry pepper spray and a Taser in my purse usually."

"Oh me too, but it's a little bit empowering to know that I can at least throw a punch without breaking my wrist or nails!" Madison said, laughing softly. "Also, it's great exercise! I mean, look at this!" She lifted up her shirt, revealing her sports bra and her stomach, which was starting to show traces of a six-pack. What the hell? I'd been working my ass off for months, and I still didn't have any abs.

"Wow…" I poked her stomach a little, causing her to giggle. She actually had muscles there! Muscles that were hard! "You go girl!"

Madison let out a snort. "Taylor, sweetie, please don't ever use that phrase un-ironically ever again."

"Yeah, agreed," Sabah added.

Meanies.

One of the instructors at the gym, Joanne, made her way over to us and introduced herself to us. Joanne, I noticed, also happened to be the model that graced a large banner advertising the gym outside. She was about an inch or two taller than me, and had long blonde hair tied back into a ponytail. She was wearing only a sports bra and knee length yoga pants, revealing incredibly well-defined abs and toned legs and arms. I swallowed nervously and tried to keep my eyes focused on her face.

"Well, why don't we get started with the workout?" Joanne suggested. "Madison, you look like you're about Sabah's size, so why don't you get her started on the heavy-bags?"

Madison smiled cheerfully at us, and started dragging Sabah away by the arm. Sabah looked at me with a terrified expression on her face. _Help! Save me!_ Sabah screamed at me telepathically. Well, I don't actually know telepathy, but I imagine that's what she was trying to say. I mouthed "sorry" at her. She was on her own now.

Joanne led me over to a punching bag, and started drilling me through a series of punches and kicks. Thanks to my training with Lily, I already knew how to properly throw a punch or kick, and soon Joanne was leading me through more complicated combos. I started working up a serious sweat after just a few minutes, and my arms started getting sore. It was clear that Joanne's class would be an intense workout, though probably not nearly as painful as my training sessions with Lily.

After working out some of my frustrations and tensions out on the punching bag for a while, Joanne called all the guests and students over to the center of the gym in front of one of the boxing rings.

I met up with Sabah again, who looked significantly worse for the wear. Her t-shirt was drenched in sweat, she was panting heavily, and her hair was completely disheveled. I couldn't resist chuckling at her appearance. "You look like you've just been –"

"Don't you dare, Taylor!" Sabah hissed back at me. Judging by the glare I was receiving, I was currently not Sabah's favorite person.

I giggled a little, but kept my mouth shut as we turned our attention to Joanne.

Joanne cleared her throat and started her spiel. "Thank you everyone for coming! My name is Joanne, and I'm one of the instructors here. As most of you girls have no doubt just experienced, kickboxing is quite the total body workout. It's an amazing way to burn calories, develop strength and agility, and boost your cardiovascular health. In fact, you can burn over a thousand calories in just one one-hour session!"

A lot of the girls in the crowd nodded appreciatively at that idea. Given Joanne's superb body, I couldn't help but think the results spoke for themselves.

"The majority of our students sign up just for the kickboxing conditioning and fitness class, but we do offer skills and technique training as well for people looking to spar or compete. In fact, why don't have we have a little demonstration spar right now for our guests? Would any of our existing students like to volunteer?"

Madison's hand shot up immediately, and she waved it around enthusiastically.

"Great, Madison, come on up!" Joanne said.

Madison bounced up happily and entered the ring.

"Anyone else?" Joanne asked. None of the other students raised their hands. "Hayley, how about you? Come on up!"

The other girl, Hayley, walked slowly up to the ring, looking not nearly as enthusiastic as Madison. "Um, maybe I should sit this one out. I have a stomach-ache," she said. Sheesh, what was she scared of? She looked like she was at least four inches taller than Madison, and probably outweighed her by twenty pounds.

"Nonsense, Hayley," Joanne said, "I'm sure you'll do fine!"

The two girls faced each other in the ring, briefly touched gloves, and took a fighting stance. Joanne blew a whistle, signaling the start of the round. Madison immediately let out a piercing battle cry and rushed straight at Hayley, who looked like a deer caught in headlights frozen in fear. And then Madison was upon her, unleashing a flurry of punches and kicks in rapid succession. In less than a minute, Hayley was on the ground curled up in a fetal position, and Madison had scored her first knockdown.

Sabah and I stared in stunned silence as we witnessed Hayley's brutal destruction.

"Taylor?"

"Yes, Sabah?"

"Your friend scares me."

"… me too, Sabah. She scares me too."

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April 28th, 2011

Operation Stalwart Beaver was in full swing, which meant that I saw very little of Vicky or Lily in the past few days as they spent their evenings patrolling or raiding ABB territory. Meanwhile, I was stuck in the hospital again on healer duty.

I though the raids were going well, since there had been a number of arrests already of the ABB's non-powered gang members, and very few of the heroes had required healing so far. I was itching a bit to be out there with my friends, but at least I had Amy with me in the hospital, even if we spent most of our healing shifts apart.

Intellectually, I understood why it made sense to hold me back from the fray. There were plenty of Blasters and Brutes in town already, but very few healers. Just me and Panacea actually, for the heroically aligned. So I kept telling myself that staying safe at the hospital was where I could do the most good.

Safe at the hospital. That was the plan at least. That was why I was so surprised when I rounded a corner in the hallway and took a baseball bat right to the head. The bat hit me on the side of my head and sent me tumbling facedown into a near-senseless heap. I heard the soft sound of laughter, and then felt someone's foot on my body, nudging me and flipping my over onto my back.

I blinked hazily as the world spun circles in front of me. Why were the lights _sooo_ bright?

"Hey little birdie," a feminine voice said to me quietly. "I promised myself I'd get you back for what you did to me."

I tried to make a noise, but it just came out as an incoherent gurgle. The figure above me was blurry still, but I was vaguely able to make out a face painted white – Circus? Wasn't she supposed to be in a PRT holding cell? I tried to move my arms, but nothing was responding. Circus let out a quiet giggle as she reached down and tugged at something on my belt.

"I think I'm going to help myself to this," she whispered, leaning in close to speak directly into my ear.

I let out another gurgle and tried to raise an arm, but Circus easily swatted away my feeble attempts to push her. She leaned in again and smirked at me.

"You know, I'm feeling generous," she whispered to me, "so I'm going to let you off with only a _little_ bit more punishment."

The last thing I saw before blacking out was Circus hovering above me, holding a Sharpie in her hand.

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When I woke up again, I was lying down on a bed. Fluorescent lights bathed the room I was in with cool light, and I could hear the sounds of people bustling around nearby.

"Hey there Sleeping Beauty," Vicky's voice greeted my return to consciousness softly.

"Wh-where am I?"

"In the hospital. You don't remember coming here?" Vicky asked playfully. "Oh my god, do you know your own name? What year is it?"

I rolled my eyes, which unfortunately sent a stab of pain racing through my head. "Yes Vicky, I know what year it is."

I looked around a bit and saw that I was inside small a private hospital room. Vicky and Amy, both in costume, were sitting by my bedside. What the hell happened? Memories of a baseball bat and an evil clown rushed back to me.

"Circus!" I yelled out, trying to sit up. "She was here."

"We know," Vicky said, placing a hand on my shoulder to keep me down. "Easy there. She's long gone, but the security cameras caught sight of her."

I let out a groan. My head was starting to pound again with pain.

"You have a concussion," Amy said, noticing my discomfort. "I've done what I can to heal your surface wounds and mitigate the side-effects, so you can probably take it from here with your own healing. Anyways, I need to get back to my patients."

Amy stood up and left the room brusquely. I frowned as I watched the door swing shut behind her. "What's up with Amy?" I asked. "Is she OK?" Deciding to listen to Amy's suggestion, I started focusing on a healing spell and started unleashing gentle waves of healing energy on my body.

"Well, you _were_ pretty talkative when you were conked out," Vicky said. "You were uhh… saying some pretty interesting things."

Crap. "Like what?" I asked nervously.

"Well, you said that you wanted to [BLEEP] me with [BLEEP], and that you were going to [BLEEP] with [BLEEP] [BLEEP] and then run a [BLEEP] over a [BLEEP]. Then you talked quite a bit about [BLEEP], with four or five [BLEEP], and then adding butter. [BLEEP]"

I stared at Vicky in horror. "I said all that?"

"Nah, I'm just messing with you. You were mostly mumbling about bacon and Mrs. Fluffypaws. Amy's just going through nicotine withdrawal. I'm trying to get her to quit smoking."

I grabbed a pillow and screamed into it. After expelling all the air out of my lungs, I put the pillow down and glared at Vicky. She was smiling sweetly at me. "Why do you do this to me, Vicky? I'm in a hospital bed! How about a little compassion?"

Vicky smirked at me. "Well I can dress up in a nurse's outfit and nurse you back to health if you want."

"That… would be acceptable." I felt my face redden as _that_ particular image entered my mind and set up permanent camp. I felt around a bit on my belt. "Did she steal…?"

"Yup," Vicky said. "She stole all the money you had on you, your Taser, and worst of all, she stole OUR lightsaber! Believe me, I'm pissed about it too. I haven't played with it nearly enough yet!"

I let out a snort of laughter at Vicky describing it as 'ours.' Oh god. I lost the lightsaber! I spent six-figures on that Tinkertech toy, and I lost it in less than two months. Circus can go suck a bag of –

"Um, there's something else," Vicky said, interrupting my thoughts.

"Hm?" I looked up at her and waited for her to respond.

"She drew something on your face and uploaded it to PHO."

"Wait, what? Do you have a mirror?" I asked.

"Amy and I cleaned it off already, but here," Vicky said, holding up her cell phone for me to see.

It was a picture of my (unconscious) face with what looked like some kind of weird cartoon creature drawn on my cheek and around my mouth. "What the hell is that?"

"It's Dickbutt!"

"What?"

"You know, it's a dick with another dick growing out of its butt, but anthropomorphized. Dickbutt. It's an internet thing."

I let out another groan. "And Circus posted it online?"

"Yup."

"And have a lot of people seen it already?"

"Umm… well… it may have gone viral already. I think there's like half-a-million hits now."

Great. Just great. It looks like I had a nemesis now, and she was a clown.

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 **Author's Note:** Wow, 600+ favs and follows. You guys rock! Thanks so much for reading and reviewing. This chapter marks the return of Madison. I'm wondering if she needs more screen time.

RIP Hayley. On a different not, I may have need for some OC capes for some minor roles in this story and my other ones, so I think this might be a good time for some reader interaction. So, I'm putting out a notice for a **CASTING CALL.** If you have an OC cape that you want to see in one of my stories, feel free to share it with me and I'll make a pool of capes I'll pull from when I need an OC where appropriate. Anyways, if you want to share an OC cape, feel free to provide as much or as little detail as you want (name, power, alignment, backstory, whatever), but I reserve the right to nerf your character if it's too OP ;). Just leave it in the reviews or PM me.

Standard disclaimer: Worm belongs to Wildbow, and Dungeons and Dragons belong to Wizards of the Coast/Hasbro. I own nothing.


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